Teamwork?
by rurouni kitsune
Summary: -on haitus, read pro for more info- Teen Jiraiya and Orochimaru are sent out on a mission together. Will they set differences aside and accomplish the mission, or will egos collide and cause them both to fail? JiraOro
1. Chapter 1

_Hello. It would seem as though you've stumbled onto my fic. Hope you enjoy it. This is my first Naruto fic, so don't murder me, kay? The point of view switches each chapter, alternating between Jiraiya and the Oro-kun. So yeah. Hope that's not too confusing. Enjoy._

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**Teamwork -part 1-**

"I can't believe I got stuck with you for a mission…" Orochimaru muttered coldly, as he readjusted the pack on his back.

"Hey, don't blame me, I don't want to be with you either," I huffed, indignant. "Blame Sensei, he's the one who paired us together for this."

"I already have. He should know better than to send a burden with me."

"Burden?! Yeah right! By the end of this mission, I bet you'll be glad you had me around."

"Yes, and if that's the case, then I'm sure we can go ice-skating in hell when we're done."

"Just you wait and see…"

**Flashback**

"_You can't be serious. I can do this on my own," I insisted._

"_You two never get along, so I'm hoping that if it's just the two of you, some kind of bond will form. It's for the good of the team, trust me."_

_I sighed heavily, "You know how he is…he'll exclude me as much as possible. The mission would get done faster if only one of us went."_

"_I realize that, and hopefully, one of you will be the bigger person, and set your differences aside for once. Who knows, maybe his attitude towards you will be different when it's just the two of you. Now then, the two of you are leaving at sunset, so I suggest you go gather your things, understand?"_

"_Yes, Sensei," I muttered, trying to put as much contempt into the title as possible before walking away. _

**End Flashback**

"It's time we stop for the night," he stated, stopping abruptly. Just as I had guessed, after our short-lived fight, we remained silent for the rest of the journey up to that point. So much for "bonding". What kind of crap was that anyway…?

After I set out my stuff for the night, I noticed that he was leaving the clearing. "Oi! Where the hell are you going?"

"There's a river nearby," he replied without so much as a look back. Well, wasn't that the epic response. What does he need a river for? I decided to investigate. After about fifteen minutes passed, I followed him.

As I got closer to the river, there were fewer trees, so I was forced to the ground, but luckily there were plenty of bushes to hide me. In fact, it was on one of them that I found his discarded robe.

Okay. That's a little weird for someone who constantly wears long-sleeved, high-collared shirts, even in the middle of summer. Now I'm really curious.

I crept to the edge of the bushes and peeked out around them, not sure what I would see.

I spotted him easily enough, – who could miss that stark contrast of black hair against white skin? – his back was to me and he was mostly underwater, from the looks of things. I went closer, holding my breath, but he didn't move.

Strange.

As I got closer, I realized he must have fallen asleep. Careless of someone who's always so arrogant. There must have been clouds overhead, because suddenly we were bathed in moonlight.

The entire scene changed after that.

I'm not sure why the moonlight had such an effect on how I viewed him, but nevertheless, he suddenly seemed ethereal. His milky white skin seemed to almost glow and his hair reminded me of a bolt of black silk that someone had dropped.

Wait a freaking minute! Did I honestly just think that crap? …Damn…

Anyway…the hell was he doing sleeping here, of all places? Especially since it was obvious he wasn't aware of his surrounds. I was only a few feet away from him, and he had yet to even flinch at my presence. I wasn't even using my concealment jutsu…

"Idiot. You're staring," he said suddenly, bringing me out of my thoughts.

Kay. So. I was wrong. Whatever.

I looked almost immediately away, deciding to lay my eyes on the moon overhead. "Yeah, and you take forever to do whatever it is you're doing in the water. Must be your hair, huh?" I mocked, making a quick recovery.

"For your information, which you don't in the least bit deserve, I was trying to relax, but for some reason, a white haired oaf just won't leave me alone long enough to do so," he shot back, glaring at me out of the corner of his eye. It seemed as though he refused to turn around completely to look at me.

"How could anyone relax in water that's probably cold?"

"It's warmer than it appears," he replied simply, turning his head away from me. I decided to see if he was lying…after all, it was fall, how could it stay warm this long after sunset?

As I approached the water's edge, he finally flinched and moved farther away, a small army of bubbles following him.

Honestly.

I'm not the one who bites, what does he have to worry about?

I dipped my finger under the surface, surprised to find that it was as he had said. I scowled slightly, finally remembering the heat wave we'd had for last few days.

"I told you so," he said. I whipped around. When the hell did he get out of the water, dry off, and get dressed?

Freaky snake bastard.

"I'm heading back to try and get some sleep. Please refrain from depriving me of that as well?" he muttered, walking away.

"_You're_ the one depriving _me _of sleep," I insisted, catching up to him.

"Oh? Do explain, moron."

"I'm not about to go to sleep when a teammate is off somewhere else." He slowed for a split second, but I still caught it. So if someone's worried about him, it _does_ affect him. Good thing to know.

"I would've been fine, you should know that."

"Except you didn't know I was near you until I could've easily killed you."

"I knew full well you were there, I just enjoy surprising you, is all," he smirked, getting under the sheet of his bed roll.

"Yeah, yeah, just don't go taking any more midnight rendezvous', okay?"

"Not that I should need your permission, but I won't."

"Good," I said, turning on my side to fall asleep. It came well enough, but I had some of the strangest dreams that night, all of which included my reclusive teammate. Why the hell was I dreaming about him anyway? It's not as if anything bad happened, which is normally the cause of weird dreams involving people…

The dreams were all pretty similar, and seemed frighteningly realistic. The one that had the most detail and lasted the longest was almost a replay of the scene we had just gone through before we came back to our camp, with one distinct difference. Orochimaru had actually fallen asleep on the river's bank and didn't sense me approach. I can't honestly recall a time when I've seen him in a deep sleep – he's not exactly the type to ever let his guard down, no matter the time or place – but he definitely was in the dream. The whole slow, steady breaths, completely relaxed form…etc, etc.

Not going to go into any more detail of the dream… - as it got really weird - but I definitely am not going any where near him today. I don't need that crap creeping into my rest again tonight.

Unfortunately, that hope was shattered the moment I woke, as I woke to his prodding. I guess it could've been worse, he could've kicked me. I was half expecting that after he told me get my lazy ass up. Quite strange the way it worked out. Insult, then gentle nudging.

The fuck's up with that?

What ever it was, I got up immediately. I think I surprised him. Goodie. Payback for last night. Yeah… Anyway, I packed up my things fairly fast and ate just as quickly. I actually had to wait for him.

There's a first.

He seemed a little annoyed by it, but didn't say anything and so we started out that day in silence. Big surprise. At least we would reach our destination by nightfall if everything went as planned. I had to admit, the mission did worry me slightly. I hadn't ever been assigned to an undercover information gathering mission before. Maybe there was more to our going together than just the "bonding" experience.

Ch- I hope so. As the only bonding going on between us is the literary connection of lightning from eye to eye. It could change…maybe more like how it was in…

No.

I **definitely** don't want that. God no.

Let's just say that in that dream, our faces came closer together than either of us would ever allow. I'm surprised I wasn't that grossed out by it. Freaked out, but not grossed out.

Hmm.

"You're being surprisingly quiet, you aren't feeling ill by chance?" Orochimaru asked, glancing over at me with a questioning look.

This trip is just getting stranger. Orochimaru _starting_ a conversation? Maybe we will go ice skating in hell.

"Well?" he pressed.

"I'm fine, just thinking," I replied, avoiding his heavy golden gaze.

"There's a dangerous action, though, judging you, it's probably something explicit," he remarked, his usual attitude returning.

"Yeah, you wish that was all it was," I shot back before I realized I had said it.

"Is that a threat, Jiraiya?" he asked, his voice perilously cool.

"No, no! Don't get the wrong idea… I'm not plotting anything malicious, I just have stuff on my mind that I normally don't."

"Care to share what that abnormality is with me?" he asked, skeptical.

"Not particularly."

"I think I have a right to know if it's distracting someone who's supposed to help me on a mission," he pointed out. Damn him for always being so clever! It's just not fair.

"I had a weird dream, is all."

"What was it about?"

"Why do you care?"

"For the same reason as I explain before, idiot. I could careless otherwise," he reassured in that annoying superior tone of his.

"All right fine, I dreamt that we made out and went a little too far," I blurted. Shit. I did NOT want him to know that. Especially when I didn't even understand it yet. I don't need him nosily picking it apart, every part more degrading than the last.

"Jiraiya, please refrain from your sick jokes and tell me the truth," he sighed, shaking his head. Funny how that managed to hide his face with that long hair of his…hmm…interesting. At least he didn't believe the real truth. Phew.

"Okay…I dreamt that you, Tsunade and Sensei got wounded really badly because of something I did…and its kind of bugging me," I supplied, surprising myself with the ability to come up with something believable so quickly.

"Oh… Well, it didn't happen, so don't worry about it. You need to be focused on this mission, or what you dreamt may come true, got it?"

"Yeah, but who put you in charge?"

"I have experience with these kinds of missions, you do not. Seniority, Jiraiya."

"Fine, whatever."

"I'm curious…what gave you the idea for that ridiculous fake dream? Quite disturbing."

"That was the point," I said, putting on a fake grin.

"Or perhaps," he started, that irritating smirk of his coming on, "that your level of perversion is so high that it has caused you to cross the line of hetero to homo, hmm?" he mocked, cold mirth in his eyes.

"And you call me stupid…" I muttered, fighting off an unwelcome blush. Why was I doing that for anyway? It was obviously not light-hearted teasing, it was cruel mockery. Why should that make me feel fluttery? I'm screwed up…

"Yes, yes I do. Are you implying that I'm the same by making that remark?"

"Duh, smartass."

"Oh, language. Have I hit a nerve?"

"Just shut up and go back to being freakily quiet, please?"

He shrugged, a triumphant smug look painted on his face. How I'd love to wipe that off with blood…the bastard. What did I ever do to him to get this kind of treatment all the fucking time?

At least he obliged to my request and remained silent until we reached the outskirts of our destination. We made a short stop to get all of our things straightened out; making sure nothing would give away our true intent. This meant nothing that could connect us to being any kind of ninja could show. Not much of problem, but it had to be addressed.

"I think we should find somewhere to stay first, as it is already getting late," Orochimaru suggested, glancing off towards the horizon where the sun was approaching at a steady rate. I nodded in agreement, still a little peeved by his earlier remarks. I don't usually keep grudges, but he did go rather far that time.

We fell back into step and entered the town with ease. After visiting a few hotels, we found one with an opening, except there was a catch.

"We do have one room, but I'm afraid it only has one bed. Will that be a problem?" the lady behind the counter asked, looking up from the registry.

"Thank you, but no, we'll keep-" Orochimaru started, but I cut him off.

"We'll take it." He glared at me. The lady smiled, handing me the key.

"It's on the second floor, three doors to the left. Enjoy your stay."

Once inside, I got the third degree…maybe fourth? It was pretty harsh.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he demanded, livid.

"Hey, we've already been to the nicer hotels in this town, and they had no openings. It was either this, or something sketchy or no where at all. If it's such a problem, my _prince_, I'll sleep on the floor," I shot back. "Besides, it's cheaper if there's only one bed."

He sighed, realizing he couldn't deny the points I had made. Ha.

"At least it's a large bed," he considered quietly, setting his things down.

"So you won't force me to sleep like a dog?" I asked.

"We'll see."

"Jee, thanks."

"I guess its kind of late to start our mission for today, so you can do what you want," he said, glancing out the darkening window. "Just don't do anything stupid," he added as I reached the door.

"Yes mother, I'll be a good boy," I remarked, closing the door behind me.

I fought the urge to bolt out of there and into the night life – the town looked like it would be fun at night, what 19 year old could resist? – but I kept my cool as I left.

Yeah, 19, I know, somewhat pathetic to not have had an undercover mission yet, but I'm not going to deny I can be loud when I want to. I'll prove that I'm overdue for something like this. In fact…maybe I should get a head start over Mr. Seniority and gather some info tonight…

As I wandered the streets, I eavesdropped as much as possible. I got a few bits that were rather interesting, even if they weren't exactly what I was looking for, but I figure I'd get something worthwhile eventually. After all, the shady crowd comes out late, don't they?

A few times a girl would take a second glance at me. That definitely helped after the last day and a half with snake-boy. They were actually pretty cute girls…maybe I'd catch up with them tomorrow…

But that would have to wait, I finally got the lead I was looking for. Stepping into an alley, making sure I was completely in shadow, I initiated my concealment jutsu and followed after the guys that had let a little info drop. I grinned to myself, so much for seniority…I knew I didn't need his "help".

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_Review?_


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks to those who reviewed. Keep in mind this chapter is from Orochimaru's perspective, and that it's **not** a repeat chapter. Enjoy._

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**Teamwork -part 1-**

"I can't believe I got stuck with you for a mission…" I muttered coldly, readjusting the pack on my back.

"Hey, don't blame me, I don't want to be with you either," Jiraiya huffed, indignant. "Blame Sensei, he's the one who paired us together for this."

"I already have. He should know better than to send a burden with me."

"Burden?! Yeah right! By the end of this mission, I bet you'll be glad you had me around."

"Yes, and if that's the case, then I'm sure we can go ice-skating in hell when we're done."

"Just you wait and see…"

**Flashback**

"_Sensei, I see no need for Jiraiya to accompany me," I insisted._

"_I realize that you're a talented shinobi Orochimaru, but these kinds of missions are never given to one person alone. You should know that by now."_

"_Yes, but why must it be him? He has no experience with this sort of mission."_

"_It's better for him to get the experience with someone who knows his strengths and weaknesses. Besides, by working together, maybe you'll bicker less?" I looked at him coldly and he shrugged. "It's for the good of the team, trust me."_

"_Have you told Tsunade about this yet?" I asked, wondering why he hadn't tacked her on as well._

"_No…" he admitted slowly, "But she has been rather busy with her medical training, so I doubt she'd have the time to deal with this. That's beside the point. The two of you are leaving at sunset, so go get your things ready. And one more thing…at least __**try**__ to make this mission work? It is important."_

"_I understand," I muttered, walking away before he could add to his pep talk._

**End of Flashback**

Coming out of my reverie, I noticed that it had gotten rather late. "It's time we stop for the night," I stated, stopping as I noticed a clearing. Luckily enough, Jiraiya had kept his mouth shut for the journey until now. Quite refreshing, I have to say.

He continued with his silent spell as we set up our meager camp. Everything in place, I rose to my feet, heading off towards the river I knew to be nearby.

"Oi! Where the hell are you going?" The twit speaks. Startling.

"There's a river nearby," I replied, not bothering to look back. That was enough information for him. He should be able to draw his own conclusions as to why I was going. We'd walked for quite a few hours and my feet were sore and tired. The water would be soothing and relaxing. It would be the perfect way to end a day that didn't start out on the best of notes.

It didn't take long for me to reach the bank. Taking a quick survey of the surroundings, I made sure it was safe. Not finding anything abnormal, I tested the temperature of the water, finding it still warm from the day's unseasonable heat. Slipping gingerly out of my robe, I got into the water, letting out a content sigh.

No Jiraiya, the moon was out, there was a gentle breeze…it didn't get much better than this. I closed my eyes, enjoying the serenity of the moment.

It was short lived, however. I instinctively froze, sensing someone's presence close by. I pretended to be asleep, hoping to catch them off guard. As they drew closer, the moon came out from behind a cloud and I could tell, my eyes barely open, by the slight shadow cast that it was Jiraiya sneaking up on me.

Lovely.

I continued to act as though I was asleep, wondering what he would do. Would he try to be cocky and put a kunai to my throat, or would he just be his usual idiot self and stare?

The latter proved to be true, and it began to annoy me.

"Idiot. You're staring," I said, clearly startling him. He almost seemed embarrassed and looked quickly away. Interesting…

"Yeah, and you take forever to do whatever it is you're doing in the water. Must be your hair, huh?" he mocked.

"For your information, which you don't in the least bit deserve, I was trying to relax, but for some reason, a white haired oaf just won't leave me alone long enough to do so," I shot back, glaring at him from the corner of my eye. I saw no point in facing him for a variety of reasons. It was bad enough that the closest clothing of mine was on a bush. Damn it.

"How could anyone relax in water that's probably cold?"

"It's warmer than it appears," I replied simply, turning my attention away from him, thinking that he'd leave. Like it would ever be that simple with him.

When he drew closer I hate to admit that I flinched, but I did. I went farther down the bank, trying to put some distance between us. He gave me an irritated glance that said: What the hell's your problem? before turning his attention to the water's surface. I bolted out of the water, drying as fast as was possible and managed to throw my clothing on all while he was testing the water. When a mildly surprised expression came to his face, I couldn't help but tease him for it.

"I told you so." He whipped around, startled to find me clothed, and mostly unruffled. I don't see why it came as such a surprise; you learn to be fast about things when you're a ninja. Deciding that his gaping expression was starting to be unwarranted, I spoke up, "I'm heading back to try and get some sleep. Please refrain from depriving me of that as well?" I muttered, walking away.

"_You're_ the one depriving _me_ of sleep," he insisted, catching up to me. Would he ever catch a hint? Honestly.

"Oh? Do explain, moron."

"I'm not about to go to sleep when a teammate is off somewhere else." I slowed for a mere second, contemplating what he said. Perhaps his badass attitude was simply that, an attitude.

"I would've been fine, you should know that," I countered, wondering why now, of all times, he had decided to show concern over my well being.

"Except you didn't know I was near you until I could've easily killed you." Just goes to show how well he knows me, I suppose.

"I knew full well you were there, I just enjoy surprising you, is all," I smirked, getting under the sheet of my bed roll. I have to admit, his shocked expression was rather entertaining. As to why he was blushing…that I don't entirely understand. Nor do I probably want to.

"Yeah, yeah, just don't go taking any more midnight rendezvous', okay?"

"Not that I should need your permission, but I won't."

"Good," he said, turning away from me. Within a matter of minutes, his breathing had slowed to that of sleep. I lay awake for a while longer, gazing at the moon and enjoying the quiet. Just as I was beginning to doze off, he mumbled something in his sleep. I couldn't quite make out what he said, but his expression seemed troubled and he was flushed again. I ignored his sporadic mumblings and managed to fall asleep.

I have a feeling it was because I saw him shocked and flushed twice that I ended up having dreams about him. Normally my dreams were cloudy, unfocused, all confusing. This one was different. It was still confusing, but it was painfully clear. For some unknown reason, I had been badly wounded, but Jiraiya had managed to stay unscathed. Well, it was a dream, so perhaps that's why it was so horribly unrealistic.

He had a horrified expression when he saw my state, and for some reason, I could hear his heart pounding. I couldn't understand why he looked so scared. His hands were shaking as he attempted to bandage some of my wounds. The most distinct thing I remember was the very end. His eyes were filled with tears and he kept saying that I couldn't have died, that I was too strong for that.

I woke with his pain stricken voice still ringing in my head. It was early, barely dawn. I was lucky enough to find him still fast asleep so I had time to compose myself. It took me a few minutes to get my breathing back to normal. I rose shakily to my feet and went back to the river and splashed my face with the now cold water. That seemed to do the trick. It had been a long time since I dreamt of my own death…

When I reentered the camp, Jiraiya was still asleep. Lazy oaf. Walking over to where he lay, still resting, I paused watching him breath slowly in and out. His expression so sharply contrasted the one in the dream that I almost had to hit myself to keep the images from flashing before my eyes again.

"Jiraiya," I started, calmly, keeping my voice level. "Get your lazy ass up." When he didn't really respond, I nudged him in the shoulder with my foot, hoping that would get him to at least sit up.

He did more than I expected. He nearly jumped out of his bedroll, his eyes a little wild. Perhaps I had woken him from an equally disturbing dream? Either way, he got ready quicker than he ever had.

Okay…that's a little odd.

He actually had to wait for me. It irritated me a little, but I kept any questions I had to myself as we started out. Surprisingly enough, he still hadn't spoken to me, whined or anything when we got on the road again. Odd thing number two.

Maybe I did wake him from a weird dream and he was still trying to get himself back to normal. At least his silence made it easy for me to plan what we would do when we reached our destination. If all went smoothly, we'd get there by sunset and have time to find somewhere to stay. It was after that that worried me.

As stated earlier, he has no experience with an undercover information gathering mission. I wasn't sure how he would do with it. He could be stealthy when he wanted to be – the women in the bath house certainly know that much – but would he be able to keep his cool the entire time?

I was beginning to see why Sarutobi had sent him on his first with me as his partner. I had the patience to deal with any mistakes he might make, whereas other ninja wouldn't. A relatively smart move, but if said mistakes did occur, it would also reflect on my record as a failed mission.

Great.

Speaking of failures, he still wasn't talking, and was getting close to noon. It was beginning to worry me. I didn't need him getting cold feet during a mission like this.

"You're being surprisingly quiet; you aren't feeling ill by chance?" I asked, glancing over at him with a questioning look. He did seem pale. He didn't reply so I pressed on, "Well?"

"I'm fine, just thinking," he said, avoiding my eyes. He seemed nervous around me. I hadn't done anything to intimidate him, so it was confusing. I decided to try and coax him out of it by trying to ignite his usual annoyance with me.

"There's a dangerous action, though, judging you, it's probably something explicit," I remarked tilting me head skyward. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him scowl.

"Yeah, you wish that was all it was," he shot back.

"Is that a threat, Jiraiya?" I asked coolly, looking at him.

"No, no! Don't get the wrong idea… I'm not plotting anything malicious, I just have stuff on my mind that I normally don't." Something other than a voluptuous woman? Oh my, the apocalypse must be coming.

"Care to share what that abnormality is with me?" I asked, skeptical. Was he worried about the mission? I hope not. Worry leads to indecision, something that can be fatal when you're undercover.

"Not particularly."

"I think I have a right to know if it's distracting someone who's supposed to help me on a mission," I pointed out. The last thing I needed was a spooked Jiraiya to screw everything up.

"I had a weird dream, is all."

"What was it about?"

"Why do you care?"

"For the same reason as I explained before, idiot. I could careless otherwise," I reassured. Well, that may have been a little lie. Whatever was bugging him clearly must be connected to me, or he wouldn't keep shooting me little glances out of the corner of his eye. Naturally, I'd like to know about things that are connected to me.

"All right fine, I dreamt that we made out and went a little too far," he blurted.

…Wait. What?

I stared at him for a moment as his lightly tanned complexion grew visibly redder. I wasn't sure what to think of that. Was it a joke, or the truth? Both seemed plausible from the way he was blushing. Either way, it was strange, even for him. I decided to write it off as just another of his bizarre and unreasonable jokes.

"Jiraiya, please refrain from your sick jokes and tell me the truth," I sighed, shaking my head, letting my hair hide my puzzled expression. I hoped it was just a joke. What if it wasn't? What would that mean?

"Okay…I dreamt that you, Tsunade, and Sensei got wounded really badly because of something I did…and its kind of bugging me," he said, casting his grey eyes downward. That caught me off guard again. It was eerily similar to the dream I had. I would like to say I was relieved that his first explanation had been false, but this didn't sit well with me either.

"Oh… Well, it didn't happen, so don't worry about it. You need to be focused on this mission, or what you dreamt may come true, got it?" Talk about being a hypocrite. I was still a little shaky about my own dream, so I really had no right to be scolding him, but it seemed to do the trick.

"Yeah, but who put you in charge?" he demanded, his usual self coming back.

That was close. I was worried he'd be weird the entire mission.

"I have experience with these kinds of missions, you do not. Seniority, Jiraiya." Sure, we were bickering again, the opposite of what Sensei wanted, but if it meant getting some normality back between us, it was well worth it.

"Fine, whatever."

"I'm curious…what gave you the idea for that ridiculous fake dream? Quite disturbing." Stupid thing to ask when things had finally seemed somewhat normal between us, but that response had just been too far out there. I wanted, needed, to know why something like that had even crossed his mind.

"That was the point," he said, grinning stupidly at me. That annoyed me, so maybe that's why I lashed back at him more cruelly than was probably needed.

"Or perhaps," I started, a smirk coming to my face as the perfect response came to mind, "that your level of perversion is so high that it has caused you to cross the line of hetero to homo, hmm?" I mocked.

"And you call me stupid…" he muttered, small amounts of red blossoming on his face again. That really confused me. I had just teased him, and now he was blushing? Could I have stumbled across something…?

"Yes, yes I do. Are you implying that I'm the same by making that remark?" I tried to steer the conversation away from something I didn't even want to consider, and it sort of worked.

"Duh, smartass."

"Oh, language. Have I hit a nerve?" The bad thing was that I was almost certain I had. A nerve I never thought Jiraiya would possess.

"Just shut up and go back to being freakily quiet, please?"

I shrugged, glad to have a reason to drop the topic entirely. I plastered on a fake look of smugness to hide my true confusion about the matter. Could my skirt-chasing teammate actually have _those_ kinds of thoughts about me? I shuddered at the mere thought.

We remained silent for the rest of the trip. It wasn't until we reached the outskirts of the town that we even acknowledged each other. We had to make sure our packs wouldn't give away our true ninja identities. If they did, the mission would fail before we even had the chance to look for information. It wasn't much of a problem, but it couldn't be ignored.

"I think we should find somewhere to stay first, as it is already getting late," I suggested, breaking the heavy silence between us. I glanced towards the horizon, finding the sun fast approaching. Jiraiya merely nodded, choosing to keep his silence. Still touchy it would seem.

We entered the town and started our search for a place to stay. We had been to a few hotels, all full, and finally found one that had an opening, but…

"We do have one room, but I'm afraid it only has one bed. Will that be a problem?" the lady behind the counter asked, looking up from the registry.

"Thank you, but no, we'll keep-" I started, but Jiraiya cut me off.

"We'll take it." I glared daggers at him as the lady smiled and handed him the key.

"It's on the second floor, three doors to the left. Enjoy your stay." What was he thinking?! One minute he goes from being completely detached and mostly ignoring my existence, to accepting a room with only one bed? What's with him?

As soon as we got into the room, I let him have it. "What the hell were you thinking?" I demanded.

"Hey, we've already been to the nicer hotels in this town, and they had no openings. It was either this, or something sketchy, or no where at all. If it's such a problem, my _prince_, I'll sleep on the floor," he shot back. "Besides, it's cheaper if there's only one bed."

I let out a sigh. He had a point…but that didn't calm my suspicions. I was still leery of that "fake dream" and this wasn't helping matters.

"At least it's a large bed," I considered quietly, setting my things down. That was probably the only advantage. Had it been twin sized…who knows what would have happened.

"So you won't force me to sleep like a dog?" he asked. I felt a small smile tug at the corners of my mouth.

"We'll see."

"Jee, thanks."

"I guess its kind of late to start our mission for today, so you can do what you want," I said, glancing out the darkening window. "Just don't do anything stupid," I added as he practically lunged for the door.

"Yes mother, I'll be a good boy," he remarked, the door closing behind him.

As the room grew darker, I reluctantly got up and turned on the night table lamp, putting it on its lowest setting. I normally would've greatly enjoyed the silence, but that night, I found it disturbing. Too many strange things had happened since we set out. First, Jiraiya's odd reaction to finding me by the river…then our dreams…and then his uncharacteristic silence and drastic mood swings.

The silence gave me the chance to ponder these things. That wasn't something I wanted. In attempt to banish the thoughts from my mind, I kept myself busy, studying the map of the city, filling out the mission journal….etc. When 11 o'clock rolled around, Jiraiya still hadn't come back.

Not very surprising.

Letting out a sigh, I took a long hot shower hoping it would help me sleep. When I was finished, I slipped under the sheets of the bed, and it was then I was glad we chose the hotel. Moonlight was pouring through the curtains and I knew it would bring on rest quicker. Curling into a tight ball, I closed my eyes, hoping that the next day would be normal.

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_Review?_


	3. Chapter 3

_This is kind of late, sorry for that. Thanks to the reviewers, as always. This chapter is from Jira's pov, just in case anyone forgot. Enjoy._

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**Teamwork –part 2– **

The lead I found did get me some information, but not quite as much as I had hoped for. Tired, I headed back for the hotel. It was pretty late by then, and I was sure I was in for another verbal attack for staying out so late. At least I had an alibi…and I had resisted going and finding those girls.

I padded silently up to our room and quietly unlocked the door. The room was dark, the only light provided by the moonlight that streamed through the transparent curtains.

Well, no yelling yet. That's a good sign, right?

I continued towards the bed, finding the opposite of what I had expected walking up to the room. Orochimaru was already deep in sleep – surprising, considering all things; he was facing the window – curled into a tight, protective ball.

He even sleeps as if he's a snake. Jeeze.

Letting out a low sigh of relief, I took a quick shower, and slipped under the sheets, opposite of my pale teammate. Hey, he never said I couldn't sleep there, now did he?

Despite how tired I was, I had some trouble falling asleep. We weren't touching by any means, but just knowing that he was that close and unaware was a little unnerving.

Especially after that dream I had last night.

Pulling the sheet around me tighter, I forced the memory out of my mind and focused on sleeping. I eventually slipped under, and the dreams that awaited me weren't the ones I was hoping to find.

They were worse than the previous night's – if it was possible – they went into more detail. Detail I didn't think was possible for me to know. Could he really sound that helpless…?

I woke suddenly; glad to be out of that situation. But as I grasped my surrounds to a better degree, I found I was much warmer than I could possibly have been on my own. I felt dread and something else creep up my spine as I glanced down.

The sight that met my eyes made my stomach plummet, an interesting heat following quickly after it. Somehow during the two hours of sleep that I'd gotten thus far, I had turned to face the other direction, and so had he. We'd also moved closer to the center of the so-called "large" bed.

I think you can see what I'm getting at…but it was the same as it had been when I thought about those dreams. I wasn't grossed out, just kind of shocked. No…that isn't the right way to describe it anymore. That heat sitting in the pit of my stomach was proof of that.

I didn't want to move for fear of him waking, but at the same time, I wanted to move for the same basic reason. Isn't that just a paradox for you…? I didn't want to see his expression if he found us lying like this. Although, from the looks of things, he was the one who curled up to me.

He let out a low sigh in his sleep, the heat of his breath lapping against my neck and collarbone. Well, at least I know for sure now that he's not cold-blooded, yes? I tried hard to ignore what it did to that weird heat. I felt myself flush.

What I wanted to know now was why I was reacting like this. I'm not going to lie, Orochimaru does have a strange sort of beauty with the white skin and golden eyes, but was that really enough to make me feel the same way as when I saw some voluptuous babe walk down the road, and wink at me?

I'd like to say no, but my body wasn't exactly agreeing.

It was right about then that I realized the reason I woke. I was lying on my arm and it had gone numb, and the tingling sensation wasn't very comfortable.

Ever so slow, I managed to get the arm out from underneath me and with no where else to put it, I slid it gently under his neck. I held my breath, waiting for him to wake, but he slept on. Draping my other arm across his waist, I found myself disturbingly comfortable. It was then that I noticed that his hand was resting near my waist and that our legs were intertwined.

Well, this would be complicated if he woke suddenly, as I had.

I forced the thought out of my head and closed my eyes. Despite how nervous I was, I fell back asleep quickly, the warmth of his body next to – well, pressing against – mine and his slow, steady breathing lulled me into slumber.

The next morning, afternoon rather, I woke to sunlight pouring in on my face. Squinting from the new amount of light entering my eyes, I found the curtains were thrown wide open and the bed next to me was vacant.

Damn. I really must have overslept…

"So…you're finally awake? About time…" came that all too familiar quiet, husky voice of my teammate, as if on cue. "Care to explain yourself?" he muttered, sitting down in the armchair that just happened to be in the only shadow of the room.

I decided he was talking about my late entrance, and not our random cuddling event. At least I hoped so. He wasn't chewing me out, but I think I would've had that over this scrutiny. It reminded me heavily of the times when Sarutobi would scold me for one reason or another. He was making me feel inferior, even though he had really no right.

"Well," I started, deciding to keep my tone nonchalant, "whether you wish to believe me or not lies completely with you. I was out last night getting a head start on our mission, and I managed to get a slight lead on the information we need to gather," I stated, looking up to meet his gaze when I was finished. He held my eyes squarely, staying silent for a moment, clearly trying to decide to believe me or not.

"And that kept you out past three in the morning?" he asked skeptically. Looks like I guessed right. Wait a second… How could he have known the exact time I got back…? I could've sworn he was fast asleep… Could he have woken up when I was squirming around after all…?

I nodded in response. "Crime lords don't usually do their business in broad daylight, you know," I tacked on spitefully. I was really getting sick of being treated like a child by someone who was only 15 days older than me.

"Says you. I was out early, and they tend to have looser lips when they're hung-over, idiot," he replied, glancing out the window. I glared at him, but that only made him smirk. Bastard.

"Is that so…? What did you learn then, Mr. Know-it-all?" I demanded, my patience wearing thin. My anger seemed to only amuse him, but at least it wasn't the cold mirth he had shown on our journey. His eyes actually seemed warm, and for some reason, that made my stomach do a flip.

The fuck?

"Well, since you so _kindly_ asked," he started, fighting off a laugh, "they're scouting this city for possible 'candidates' for their upcoming 'show'," he finished, his tone sobered.

"So the reports about their activity were true?" I asked, horrified. He nodded grimly.

The reports we were given to read over told us that a group of crime lords had been traveling from country to country, finding "candidates" for certain "sales". In layman's terms, this meant slaves for promiscuous acts.

Needless to say, something _that_ wrong even sat badly with someone like me. And I won't lie, I can have some pretty dirty thoughts, but this was crossing the line by miles.

"I guess our working apart actually helped us. They're looking for either gender, around our age, 16-22. They'll be here for two weeks, as well," I informed, getting to my feet as I stretched. "So what do you suggest we do now that we know what they're up to?"

He paused, thinking it over. "We can't get them until they have their show, or if we know where they're hiding. You wouldn't have happened to come across that information as well?" he asked. I shook my head and he sighed. "Since you seemed to get the most information last night, I'll look for this piece," he said.

"We could look together you know…it's not like it would kill us," I pointed out, wondering why he was separating us.

"As true as that may be we'll have better luck if we split up. More ground covered."

"Oh."

"If it would make you feel better, we can meet up for meals," he added, noticing the fall of my face. Okay, he's acting weirder than normal…because he's acting, well, normal. As close to it as he can probably get.

"Okay, why don't we meet back here around eight and then find somewhere to eat for dinner?" I suggested, realizing it was probably already past lunchtime. Oh well.

He nodded, "I'll check the east side of town, you cover the west," he said, rising nimbly to his feet. Was there ever a time when he wasn't graceful? Honestly…

As the door clicked shut, I realized I had been thinking too much about him for at least the fiftieth time. Smacking myself on the forehead, I got to my feet, determined to concentrate on the mission, and not eight that coming night.

I kept my eyes and ears open as I walked aimlessly through the western portion of the city.

Wait a second.

The information I had managed to gather the previous night had been on the east side of town, and seeing as I hadn't found anything remotely concerning my cause, I had the sinking feeling that he had sent me in this direction on purpose.

Talk about being duped.

That's just like him though. I should've known something was up when he offered to eat with me. That was a major red flag as I look back on the situation. Funny how I had even considered it an act of…what am I thinking of? Dating? I couldn't help but snort to myself. He might as well be asexual with how much interest he's shown in either gender.

As badly as I wanted to find out the information and prove myself on the mission, I resisted the urge to bolt to the east side of town. I wasn't entirely sure what his reaction would be if we ran into each other. I know it wouldn't be pleasant, so I stuck to my course, hoping in vain that maybe the bastards weren't just on the east side.

By the time it was nearing eight o'clock, I hadn't found even the slightest hint.

Big surprise.

I headed back to the hotel, hoping to at least enjoy my well earned meal. Sure, I hadn't found any information, but I had stayed to what he told me to do, that has to amount to some points, right? Hell, I was even listening to what he said. That never happens. It's weird the changes you go through just because the look of someone's eyes makes your stomach flip, or their closeness makes your body temperature sky rocket.

Yeah…anyway.

I was beginning to be impatient. Sure, it was only 8:05, but Orochimaru always made it a habit to be either early or strictly on time.

By the time 8:15 rolled around, I began to think he had forgotten, or just blown me off.

8:55 and still no snake charmer. I was worried then. What if something had happened to him? Not very likely, but it was still a possibility to consider. They were looking for people around our age, and as I've said before, Orochimaru _is_ attractive…

Heading towards the east side of town, I could feel a nervous sweat form on my forehead. I didn't know what I'd do if I couldn't find him. What if the people running this charade had somehow captured him? What if something horrible was happening to him right at this moment?

Pushing the what-if's aside; I focused all my attention on searching. I checked everywhere, hell; I even peeked into the brothel. He was no where to be found on the east side.

My panic level rose slightly, but I was determined I'd still find him. Perhaps he had come looking for me on the west side for some unknown reason? I couldn't put anything to chance and thus swept the entire city.

It was close to midnight before I finally realized the last time I would see him was earlier that afternoon, when his eyes were warm with amusement.

I was exhausted, hungry, and above all else, worried sick to my stomach.

I went back to the hotel, a heavy blanket of despair weighing down on my shoulders. There was still a glimmer of hope that he may have forgotten and since returned to the hotel to get some rest, but common sense told me that kind of luck was only in fairytales.

Opening the locked door to our room confirmed that childish thought to be false. The room was dark, the moonlight streaming in through the curtains that had been left open. No one was in the room.

Knowing I was in no condition to continue my search for him, I collapsed on the bed that seemed all too large now. I didn't bother changing, getting under the covers, eating…nothing. I slept a dead sleep until I was startled into consciousness from a loud boom of thunder, early in the morning.

Just great. Not only would I be forced to face another day searching for my apparently abducted teammate, but I'd also have to do it in the rain.

Mother nature, you're a bitch.

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_Review?_


	4. Chapter 4

_Update time again. Thanks to my few reviewers, your words are much appreciated! As a reminder, this chapter is from Orochimaru's perspective. Enjoy._

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**Teamwork –part 2- **

It was true, the shower and moonlight helped me fall asleep quickly, but neither seemed to keep me under for long periods of time. I kept waking up every hour or so and then the moonlight would lull me back. I'd wake up an hour later…I'm sure you can see the pattern.

At least my subconscious mind wasn't torturing me as much as it had the night before. My dreams had returned to their normal fuzziness, for the most part. The images were vague, but every once and a while they would sharpen, and I'd be able to make out perfectly what was going on, what was being said…

That was when I'd wake; noticing only an hour had gone by.

When I woke at two in the morning, the dreams were getting worse, and Jiraiya still wasn't back. I grew slightly worried. I knew him well enough; he was probably just trying to seduce some naïve girl, but this late at night?

I pushed away the thoughts that something had happened to him. It wasn't my fault if something had. He could've stayed here. It was his choice to go out at night in a town he wasn't familiar with.

Well, that was nice of me. Then again, I never really have been much of a nice person. Go figure.

I sighed and tried to sleep some more. If he wasn't back by three, I'd do something, but I owed him at least another hour. Jiraiya may not be the brightest, but that doesn't mean that he can't hold his own in a fight when he concentrates. He should be fine.

The next time I woke, it was to someone clearly trying to be quiet in the room. I froze and instinctively reached for a kunai that wasn't under my pillow. I then remembered where I was and as I heard the shower turn on, I let out a small sigh.

At least the idiot had managed to keep his head for the first night.

I tried falling back asleep, but I couldn't. I faked being asleep when Jiraiya came back into the room. When he slipped under the sheets next to me – thank god not touching – I stiffened. There was room between us, but it still felt extremely odd to by lying in the same bed as him.

He must have felt the same, because he didn't fall asleep for quite some time. When his breathing slowed, I relaxed slightly. I'm not sure why, but I had been holding my breath, as if expecting something weird to happen. Glad that nothing had, I settled in, and fell back asleep, hoping I wouldn't keep waking up.

The dreams persisted; however, they were different than the ones from earlier. Instead of sharpening to a horrific scene - blood, gore, dead bodies everywhere… - it sharpened to something I found more horrific. It seemed as though his "fake" dream ideals had transferred to my sub-consciousness.

My eyes snapped opened just as his lips were descending to mine. I forced myself to stay still, remembering that Jiraiya wasn't even two feet away from me. It was hard, considering I woke from a nightmare where he was trying to make a move on me. I fought off a shudder at the memory and started to close my eyes, knowing I still needed more rest.

It was then I froze. He wasn't two feet away. He wasn't even _three inches_ away. I felt his arm draped lazily across my waist, the other arm underneath my neck. I was horrified, but that was only the beginning. As if it wasn't bad enough, _my_ arm was draped across his waist and our legs were intertwined in a far too intimate way.

Trying to keep calm, I dared a glance up at Jiraiya's face, to see if he was still asleep. He was. I was surprised my tensed form hadn't stirred him; at least that had gone right. He looked relaxed. He was probably very comfortable, the bastard. His slow breaths caressed my face and stirred a stray piece of my hair.

Well, it could have been worse; he could have forgotten to brush his teeth. Though, his breath didn't have that sickeningly minty scent to it either. It was almost…sweet, if that makes any sense at all. Perhaps this was what brought on the nightmare? Our faces were very close, and our lips weren't far from each other, either.

As the memory of the dream flashed before my eyes, I felt my heart beat faster instead of the nauseous feeling I had felt before.

That's odd.

And annoying.

I wasn't sure if I was blushing or not – I certainly I hope I wasn't. I closed my eyes and willed myself to sleep, knowing it was still an hour or two before sunrise. I fell asleep much easier than I thought I would have, given the situation and the nigh- dream I had. I couldn't exactly call it nightmare if it made my heart race like that.

Wait.

Yes I could.

Something like that _shouldn't_ make my heart go all stupid. _Nothing_ should make my heart go stupid like that. I had more important things to do with my time.

The last two hours of my rest came blissfully dreamless. When I woke, Jiraiya still had me wrapped in his arms. The Stupid Feeling started up again, but I banished it with a scowl as I slowly, and gently slipped out of his embrace. Difficult with the way our legs were, but I still somehow managed to get out without waking him.

Stupid oaf is probably just a heavy sleeper.

Good.

I changed into different clothes and left, knowing he'd probably still be asleep when I came back. It was time to start this mission, and since I had no need for his assistance, I started it alone.

I wandered the streets of the unfamiliar city, trying to get my bearings as I kept my ears open to any hints. I hadn't the faintest clue as to where I should start my search, so I walked in the direction to where things seemed to sink into poverty, thinking it was my best bet. I drew quite a few stares, but I ignored them, keeping to my mission.

Eventually, I managed to get a few hints. Not nearly enough to make me happy in the slightest, but it was approaching noon and I had a feeling the moron would be confused if I wasn't there.

I headed back to the hotel, many eyes still on my back. It was irritating, but there wasn't much I could do without blowing my cover. Maybe the sword I had with me wasn't as well hidden as I thought it was…? It would be a pain if that was the case. I entered the room quietly, finding him still fast asleep, even though it was fast approaching one in the afternoon. He really _was_ lazy.

I walked across the room, throwing the curtains open in attempt to wake him without having to go near him. I hardly needed the Stupid Feeling to come back. My idea did the trick, and he started to stir as I walked back to the other side of the room. I purposefully kept my eyes off him, not sure what the effect of a tired look in his grey eyes would have.

"So…you're finally awake? About time…" I said softly, hoping I wouldn't startle him, but that didn't mean I wasn't still peeved about what was going on. "Care to explain yourself?" I muttered, annoyed as I sat down, glad the chair was in shadow. He hesitated, unsure of himself, and he scowled.

"Well," he started, nonchalant, "whether you wish to believe me or not lies completely with you. I was out last night getting a head start on our mission, and I managed to get a slight lead on the information we need to gather," he stated, looking up to my eyes. I held his gaze, trying to decide if he was lying or not. He still seemed uneasy…

"And that kept you out past three in the morning?" I asked skeptically. He started to shake his head, a look that said: 'I knew you wouldn't believe me' coming to his face, but it suddenly vanished, leaving a slightly horrified expression. I looked at him curiously and that look vanished as well as he nodded.

"Crime lords don't usually do their business in broad daylight, you know," he said spitefully.

He had more mood swings than a pmsing woman.

"Says you. I was out early, and they tend to have looser lips when they're hung-over, idiot," I replied, glancing out the window. I felt him glaring at me, and I couldn't help but smirk. He was so easy to manipulate.

"Is that so…? What did you learn then, Mr. Know-it-all?" he demanded, clearly irritated. I broke into a small smile, turning back to face him. For some reason, it was easier to face him when he was acting childish. Wish I knew why.

"Well, since you so _kindly_ asked," I started, finding it hard to fight off a laugh, surprising with what I was about to tell. "They're scouting this city for possible 'candidates' for their upcoming 'show'," I finished, sobered.

"So the reports about their activity were true?" he asked, horrified. I nodded grimly.

Our mission was to gather information, and if we could, catch a band of people in the market of capturing, and selling slaves. They weren't just any slaves – they specialized in ones that were sex slaves for whoever had the highest bid. Even now, I shudder at the mere thought.

We'd been given reports on their movement from country to country, but that was about all they had for us, besides what I've already mentioned. I was planning on capturing them and I hoped Jiraiya felt the same. If their band was big, we could always get help from the Anbu if we really needed it.

"I guess our working apart actually helped us. They're looking for either gender, around our age, 16-22. They'll be here for two weeks, as well," he informed, getting to his feet to stretch. "So what do you suggest we do now that we know what they're up to?"

I paused, not entirely sure what to do. It seemed like he did better than I had thus far in gathering information. Must've been luck. "We can't get them until they have their show, or if we know where they're hiding. You wouldn't have happened to come across that information as well?" I asked. He shook his head and I sighed. Luck, after all. "Since you seemed to get the most information last night, I'll look for this piece," I said, trying to keep scorn out of my voice.

"We could look together you know…it's not like it would kill us," he pointed out. I stiffened slightly, why did he sound so let down?

"As true as that may be we'll have better luck if we split up. More ground covered."

"Oh."

"If it would make you feel better, we can meet up for meals," I added, noticing his face fall more. Talk about sensitive. He looked at me slightly wary. What the hell…I'm just trying to be nice; I'm not the one practically groping someone in their sleep. His hand was uncomfortably close to my hips, as I recall.

Well, maybe me being nice _is_ a little weird, but he was reminding me of an injured puppy. As sad as that is.

"Okay, why don't we meet back here around eight and then find somewhere to eat for dinner?" he suggested.

I nodded in agreement, "I'll check the east side of town, you cover the west," I said, getting to my feet lightly. He seemed lost in thought so I decided to leave, already having had my fill of weirdness from him for one day.

Not only was he wanting to have my company – that hardly happened – he clearly was distracted by it. I'm not sure where he found his information last night, but I found my on the east side. I specifically sent him towards the west side, where things seemed ritzy and there was plenty security to see if that would click at all with him.

It didn't.

That didn't sit well with me, but I pushed it out of my mind, knowing that emotions in the field only led to disaster.

I started my second search making a wide arc of the entire east side of town, slowly spiraling to the center, hoping I'd find something before I came to the end of my line. I wasn't having much luck, and it was irritating. I was always good at these kinds of missions, so why was this one proving to be so difficult?

As I was looking, I wandered down an alley and lost my way. I had no idea where I was – I'd never seen this area, not on either of my searches so far. Why hadn't I come across it sooner? Maybe this was where Jiraiya had found his information.

I shouldn't have thought of him. I shouldn't have probably even gone down that alley. It wasn't familiar and it was twilight already. Maybe that's why I was cornered as easily as I was?

"Well, well, well…what have we here? Looks like a little princess lost her way," a snide voice said from behind me. I felt my eye twitch in annoyance. I wasn't the _only_ male that had long hair.

I turned around slowly, my eyes dark as I looked over the group of thugs, all at least half a foot taller than me. Having Jiraiya with me probably would've helped right about now…he was the half giant of the group, after all.

"Oooh, it looks like the princess is really just a girly prince!" another crowed, making my hands ball into fists. I wouldn't even need to use my jutsu on these half rate fools. A simple beating would do.

"Care for me to escort you home?" a third said, sauntering towards me. Arrogant pig. He was a bloody dead mess on the ground before he took another step. Plainly said, I was pissed. The other five tensed when they saw their friend fall in the blink of an eye.

"Looks like he has bite to back up those cold eyes. Then again, the boss always says the feisty ones get the highest prices," one of them said, crouching into a fighting stance, the others following his lead.

I guess I found what I was looking for. And then some.

My anger had blinded me to their guises. They weren't your average alley thugs. They were ninja, though from what village I hadn't a clue. They clearly must have been missing nin in need of money to work for scum this low.

I wasn't sure of their level, but from the looks of things, they weren't weak. Their auras flared ominously around their large bodies, and I suddenly felt outnumbered. Sure, I may have been a jounin –a strong one at that – but that didn't mean I could take out five possibly jounin level nin that were that big easily. I flared my own aura up, one that was larger than any of theirs on their own, but compared to the five of them, I was tiny flame in a cave.

So much for keeping a cover.

The one closest to me lunged and I drew my sword from its hiding place in under my clothes. I was glad I didn't forget it. I hacked him to the ground by his friend, his blood splattering onto my face and body. I ignored it and continued to the next one.

He disappeared before me and I instinctively shot the hilt of my sword behind me, hearing a satisfying grunt. I hit him equally as hard on the head, and he fell. It was a small victory, but I could hardly celebrate. I made the mistake of turning my back on the other three.

One came from the side, slamming me hard into the stone wall of the alley. I tasted blood in my mouth as I hit the ground. I glanced behind me, finding a slight indent of where my body had hit. I managed to get to my feet, only to dodge a sword strike from one of them. It grazed my chest, but I was lucky. He had been aiming for my throat.

The struggle continued for at least ten minutes that felt like an eternity to me. They got a few more hits in on me – one of them pretty deep on my right leg – before one of them managed to get behind me again, this time knocking me out cold.

Had we done our searching together I know for a fact that Jiraiya and I could've easily beaten them. I wish I had known the foolish choice it was, sending him to the opposite side of the city.

And here I had thought he'd be the one to botch the mission.

How horribly off I was.

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_Review?_


	5. Chapter 5

_Sorry about the wait. I've been pretty busy. Thanks to all my reviewers. You're all amazing. Now then...this chapter is from Jiraiya's pov, just in case you forgot. Enjoy._

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**Teamwork –part 3– **

As the storm rumbled outside, I forced myself to go through familiar routines of getting ready in the morning. I managed to do everything of real importance – shower, clean clothes, breakfast – before heading out into the steady rainfall.

I decided the first place I should check would be where I first found my information. It would be my best bet.

As I neared my destination, my heart started to race out of adrenaline, fear, and hope. It was here that I may have the chance of getting my teammate back, and perhaps be the hero I boasted childishly about at the start. Funny how things were falling into place, forcing me to do as I said I would. Who would have thought? Naturally, I was joking…I never knew I'd actually have to save him. He was always the one coming to _my_ rescue.

The alley was dark, the lack of sunshine not helping matters. I slowly walked down it, finding splatters of blood starting to wash away that had not been visible the night before.

The blood worried me. Whose was it? The traders, or…

This confirmed what I'd feared. They must have captured him. Why else would there be blood here? Orochimaru definitely wouldn't have gone down without a fight…and since he still hadn't come back, they must have taken him.

I'd reached a dead-end. I had an idea of what happened, but with no means to reverse it, what good would it be?

I had two options. The first, being I would return to Konoha, explain the desperation of the situation, and hopefully get the aid of the Anbu. The second would be to continue searching, and if I was lucky enough, find him.

The first really didn't appeal to me, even though it was the more logical of the two. It had too many flaws. It would take at least half a day to get back to Konoha if I went as fast as possible. And then I'd have to see the Hokage and request the assistance of the black ops. By the time they had mobilized and gone back to this city, those bastards could have already had their show…

No. I couldn't afford that loss. Besides, wasn't Sensei always saying to never leave a teammate behind? I'd be breaking that code if I returned without him.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the day's search ahead of me. I continued down the alley, finding a door to a warehouse. I opened it cautiously, not sure what I would find.

It was pitch black inside. I had trouble seeing where I was going, and I ran into something at least three times. Since it was dead silent, I decided to take the chance of using a light.

What met my eyes wasn't what I had expected, much less wanted. The light revealed a few crates scattered around the room, a few of them stacked in a way that had me believe they were hiding something. I slowly approached them. A scent I was too familiar with strengthened as I came closer.

Death.

A chill ran down my spine, my mind screaming. If they had killed him…

I reached out to push the crates aside, finding my hands shaking violently. There was no way Orochimaru would be killed by such scumbags. There was just no way.

And it turns out I was right.

The body – well, bodies – were not him. Three of the thugs, I assumed. One had a deep blade wound, another, his skull broken, and the third… I'm not even going to talk about that one. Orochimaru apparently had been pissed off when they attacked him.

Like I said, that snake would _never_ let someone take him without lashing out first.

Then an idea hit me. Maybe these corpses would come in handy. They had blood on them that clearly wasn't from their wounds. That made me swallow hard, but at least it would help in the search.

I bit my thumb and made a quick succession of handsigns, "Kuchiyose no jutsu," I murmured, planting my palm of the cold stone floor. In a small poof of smoke Gamakichi appeared, annoyed, as usual.

"Whada want?" he grumbled, clearly not happy.

"Shut up. This is important. Can you track a scent for me?"

"What do I look like, a dog?" he shot back, fuming.

"You have a better sense of smell than I do. So can you?"

"If I must, yes."

"Good. Now, you see the blood on him that's not from his wounds?" he nodded, glancing at me with a significant look, "That's the scent I want you to remember."

"Just whose scent is this, anyways?" he asked, grudgingly approaching the dead body.

"Orochimaru's." He looked back, confused.

"Why do you need to track him? He didn't _do_ something, did he?" I glared at him.

"No. He's been captured to be an item sold in a show, now hurry it up! I don't know how much time I have left." The little toad huffed – don't ask me how – and ripped away the piece of clothing with my teammate's blood on it. It was my turn to give him a significant look.

"What? I told you before, I'm no dog. It'll be easier to track him if I have his scent with me constantly," he explained, sniffing it. "I really do hate snakes…" he muttered, hopping towards the door. I followed after him.

"If it would put you in a better mood, its raining outside," I commented opening the door for him.

"I could hear it, but thanks," he said, taking a gleeful leap into a puddle before dutifully following the scent. Sure, Gamakichi could be a pain, but he was still loyal in the end.

When we reached the end of the alley, he went left, which I knew – by now – led to the city gate. I was confused, but I didn't doubt him. It was hard enough to get him into a pleasant mood.

"I'm surprised Mr. Amazing got caught," the little toad muttered. "Must be losing his touch."

"Don't be stupid, he was probably overwhelmed. And you saw for yourself that he took care of three of them before they managed to detain him," I pointed out, wondering why he hated Orochimaru so much.

He glanced back at me, surprised. "Since when did you come to _his_ defense?"

"What do you mean?" I shot back, my face feeling warm despite the gentle rain falling.

"I've slammed him many other times. This was the first time you defended him like that. Why? I thought you didn't like him."

"I never said that. Besides, we're comrades. Friends, too, I think," I said, slightly uncertain at the end. Did your heart beat faster around just a 'friend'?

"'I think'? Do you like him and he doesn't like you, or something?"

I hadn't even thought of that. What if I was falling for someone whose heart was made of ice? It seemed like that an awful lot of the time…

Wait, I'm not 'falling' for him. What was I thinking? I shook my head. I just…liked him a lot. I think. Another side argued the heat I felt when he was asleep in my arms. You didn't feel that way for just a friend.

"He likes me well enough," I replied simply, remembering the warmth in his eyes. Rare, but that's what makes something valuable, right?

"Sure."

"Shut up," I muttered, picking him up as we neared the gate. The guard gave him a funny look, but didn't say anything as we left. When we were far enough away, I set him back down. "Where to next?" I asked.

He sniffed the fabric again, and then the ground and hopped off into the trees, with me close behind him. As we walked – and hopped, I guess – he started talking again.

"So what makes you think he likes you, of all people?"

"Why do you care?"

"We have a ways to go, and the silence is depressing in this weather. Just trying to make a conversation."

"You're not a diary," I said flatly, hoping he'd drop the topic. Turns out that was a bad thing to say to him, it only made things worse.

"Diary? Don't tell me you're going after guys now…" he sneered, jumping just out of my reach.

"I never said that. It's just that what you asked is something someone wouldn't be sharing with just anyone."

"So what does that make me? I thought we were friends, Jiraiya." I sighed. He was being quite the little bastard.

"To be honest, I'm not really sure."

"That we're friends, or that he likes you?"

"That he likes me. Of course _we're_ friends. He's hard to read. Sometimes he seems friendly, but then he can be cold and aloof around me. I don't get it."

"He sounds like a hard prize to win." Again, leaping out of my range. Despite the real situation at hand, I was getting quite peeved at the little amphibian. But then I stopped myself. Why was I getting angry? Normally, those kinds of comments would make me sneer right back at him, and we'd both laugh, but now…

Why were those stabs getting under my skin, all of a sudden? Can things change that quickly between two people? Or had his disappearance just put things into perspective for me?

Those thoughts were clouding my concentration. I needed to focus on getting him back before I could ponder how he might like me or not. After all, I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see me. The thought of seeing his eyes fill with relief at the mere sight of me – and something else, if I was lucky enough – made that weird heat appear again, sitting comfortably in my chest.

How could he _not_ like me if I saved him?

"Oi! Earth to Jiraiya, snap out of dreamland already!" Gamakichi scolded, abruptly ripping me from a fantasy.

"Sorry…" I mumbled, glad he brought me back to reality. Funny, I had been trying to get myself back and just dug deeper into my thoughts. I could enjoy those ideas later, for real, if everything went how I hoped it would. Glancing up, I caught a glimpse of a building tucked into the trees. I looked behind us. I was surprised to see the city so far back. Maybe this was the place.

My little companion slowed to a stop. "I'm pretty sure he's in there, but you can do the rest of the looking from this point on your own, right?" he asked, eager to be gone.

"Yeah, thanks loads. When I'm done with this mission, I'll be sure to treat you to something delicious, okay?" I said, smiling to him.

"Sounds like a plan!" he said, waving to me before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. I gingerly picked up the torn piece of cloth he had left behind. I stared at it momentarily, hoping this was the only blood of his that had been spilt.

Slipping it into my pocket, I pulled out my headband, tying it tightly to my head. I also strapped my kunai container to my leg, not sure what I was up against in there.

If it was bad enough that Orochimaru couldn't handle it on his own, I would definitely need my ninja tools.

Taking a deep breath, I started my way towards the building, putting my transparency jutsu into place. Better not risk being caught as well.

It was a good thing I had. There were guards hidden in trees that towered over the building. It didn't look very big, but I didn't doubt for a moment that there was a very large basement – with a few levels too – beneath it.

After incapacitating the guards, I slipped inside.

Just as I thought, the first floor had nothing to it, but there was a staircase that led down. Way down, by the looks of things. I started down it, careful to keep to the sides. It wouldn't creak – made of cement – but it still wasn't wise to go straight down the middle. It just felt stealthier this way.

It was unnaturally quiet, as if prisoners were being held to stay silent. An image of Orochimaru with a kunai to his throat and a gagged mouth flashed before my eyes. I shook my head. I knew full well that he could have already been tortured, if not worse, and worrying about it wouldn't do me any good.

I reached the bottom of the stairs, the long hallway dimly lit by candles every few feet on the walls. No cells as of yet, but I was sure they were holding their 'items' here. Why else would there have been guards otherwise?

At the end of the hallway, there was another door that opened to another staircase. I followed that one as well, this time finding doors on the opposite sides of the hallway. They didn't even have the slightest window in them, meaning the captives were in complete and utter darkness. That gave me chills just thinking about it. But with Orochimaru…that probably wouldn't bother him too badly. He's always been a night-time person.

Even so, there are still forms of light at night.

I opened the first door to find it unlocked. No one was inside. The next few doors were the same, unlocked and holding no one.

The first door I found that was locked, I easily opened. Locks this pathetic a child could open if they put their mind to it, and a few minor tools, of course. I found a cowering group of three young women, huddling together, clearly frightened of me. They couldn't have been 18.

I slowly approached them, my hands in front of me, palms up, to show them I wasn't going to hurt them. They relaxed ever so slightly, their eyes still wary of me.

"Don't worry; I'm here to get you out of this place. It sickens me to see girls your age put through this…" I murmured to them, helping them to their feet. Their eyes widened in joy when I directed them outside and in the direction of the city. I never thought someone could look that happy.

Granted, I had come for Orochimaru, but I couldn't just leave these people here. It was part of the mission to save them, wasn't it?

The rest of the rooms held similar occupants, both genders, all of them as grateful of me as the first three girls had been. It made me feel great to have helped so many people, but it was dampened quickly; I had yet to find Orochimaru. A door at the end of the hallway kept my spirits high. It was harder to unlock, but I still managed it.

This next level had only one candle every 20 feet or so, making it even dimmer than the previous levels had been. There was only one door on this level that didn't lead to another staircase. My heart beat faster when I found the lock much more intricate than the others.

I managed to open it after about 10 minutes of work. As the door swung open, my eyes widened in horror, and I felt my heart nearly stop.

Orochimaru was lying on the floor in a crumpled heap, unconscious. He didn't look in good shape, his breathing was shallow and even I could smell his blood now, the metallic tang burned my nose.

I rushed to his side, highly aware of the wounds on his lean form. I eased him onto his back so he could breathe easier and tried to wake him. After a few shakes and probably too loud of urges he stirred, eyes tired. When they finally focused, he tried to shoot up into a sitting position, but I kept him on his back, not sure of where all of his wounds were.

"It's okay, I'm here," I whispered, brushing his ebony hair away from his face. It was then he finally noticed me. His eyes first held shock, then slight relief – that made my heart flutter – but then his eyes turned stony.

Okay, so maybe he was a little miffed that I had to save him.

So much for a fairytale reunion. I was hoping – dreaming, rather – that he would be so relieved I'd come that he'd cling to me, muttering incomprehensively about what they tried to do to him, and I'd console him…

Yeah…as if my pride-filled teammate would _ever_ do that. Oh well. I can still dream, right?

"Why are you here?" he demanded quietly. Now it was my turn to be shocked. Wasn't he happy he wouldn't have to keep lying here, bleeding, unconscious, waiting unaware to be sold to some sick person?

"Why do you think?" I muttered back, kind of wanting to hit him upside the head to knock some sense into him. Didn't he realize the situation he was in?

"I would've been fine on my own."

"So that's why you were unconscious and bleeding on the floor?" I said incredulously. I noticed that his hands were also chained behind his back. I helped him into a sitting position and unlocked the shackles.

"Shut up. I would've woken sooner or later," he muttered, rubbing his wrist gingerly. I stared at him doing it for a moment before shooting back a reply.

"Yes, probably in some freak's bed as they groped you." He merely glared at me before turning away, letting out a sigh. Was that a surrender?

"Did you bring any bandages with you?" he asked, not meeting my eyes. I realized then I had left my hand on his shoulder after freeing his hands, and he had yet to shake it off, like he normally would. I took that as a good sign and pulled out what I had brought with me. He actually seemed surprised to see I had remembered them.

"I was worried…so I brought as much as I could carry…" I said, nervously arranging them on the floor.

"Worried? About me?" he scoffed, but in the extremely dim light, I could still make out a slight flush on his otherwise porcelain features. I felt a small smile tug the corners of my mouth. Heart of ice? Nah, it's just never felt the warmth of affection.

"Clearly I had good reason…but that's beside the point. Where are you hurt?" I asked, hesitating to touch him.

"A few places…" he started, pointing to his chest and legs. "Those are the worst areas. One of them had a sword." I nodded and gingerly opened his robe, revealing the wound he spoke of and an expanse of his creamy white skin. It was shallow, and looked like it was starting to stop bleeding. I treated it anyway, trying to ignore the way his chest rose and fell as I worked and the heat of his body against my fingers. I didn't even want to think about his legs. I just prayed it was his lower legs.

As I worked, I realized there wasn't a point in denying the attraction I had for him. I wouldn't be this nervous about it otherwise. Nor would I be blushing, which I knew I was. Plus, my hands kept lingering on him. Either he didn't notice, or just didn't care. Whatever it was, I was grateful. I didn't know what I'd do if he was annoyed, or worse: repulsed by my actions.

When I got to his right leg, I didn't see any wounds worse than a scratch. "It's ah…higher up…" he murmured, looking away. Was he embarrassed? I wonder what that meant. I felt my face burn a deeper red as I lifted the fabric away to reveal more of the toned white skin. I gulped, seeing the deep red gash. This one was worse than the other two had been.

As bad as it sounds, I was glad for it being worse. If it had been like the one on his chest, I'm not sure if my hands would have kept from wandering. I focused, forgetting where it was on his body and fixed it up nicely.

I left his leg exposed as I put my things away. As the saying goes, you can always look, just don't touch. He eventually moved to cover himself, that horribly attractive blush on his face. I began to wonder if he wasn't feeling the same way I was: nervous and thrilled.

I didn't get a chance to ask. He stiffened, his eyes wide in shocked fear, looking behind me. I whipped around, finding at least 15 men around the doorway.

Can't anything ever be easy?

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_Review?_


	6. Chapter 6

_Um, yeah. This is late **and** short. I'm terribly sorry, but I didn't want Orochimaru's perspective to be way ahead of Jiraiya's. So...that's my lame excuse. Thanks so much to my reviewers, there were loads of them! They all made me so happy. Enjoy!_

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**Teamwork –part 3–**

The next time I woke was to a throbbing headache and the uneven bumps of being carried like a sack over one of the thug's shoulders. I didn't have a clue where we were, but it was deep in a forest. Maybe just outside the city? I hoped so.

They stopped, talking to someone…a guard? Whoever it was, they seemed surprised to see that they returned at only half strength and with only one person in tow.

"The boss'll get a high price for this bastard. Whoever he's sold to though…they'd better have enough chains to keep him down. Quite the vicious little fucker when he's awake," the supposed leader of the group said as we entered a building. They apparently hadn't noticed I was, in fact, awake yet. I wanted to get some more information on these fools, so I kept quiet.

"If that's the case, we'll keep him alone and on the lowest level," the newest voice commented as they started down a flight of stairs. "You've got a point though…those bidders love the ones that fight." I cringed, trying to imagine just who would partake in the black market gathering. I knew I wouldn't be there to play my part as most valued item. I'll do whatever it takes to get out of here before that happens.

When we reached the third basement floor, they finally stopped. They opened a heavy door and we went inside. The bastard carrying me dropped me unceremoniously onto the floor, and I bit back a yelp of pain. It was then they finally noticed I was awake.

Two of them rushed to grab hold of my arms and held me mostly still. I yanked on their grip, but they held me fast and twisted my arms behind me.

Hearing a sickening lock click into place and feeling the weight of the shackles on my wrists, I knew I didn't have much of a chance against four of them. I tried all the same – my kicks are stronger than my punches anyway.

They easily avoided them, until one got annoyed and grabbed my leg, picking me up and throwing me as easily as you would a rag doll against the stone wall of the cell.

Everything went black after that, and it was a long time before I woke up again.

I could hear a voice desperately calling my name as I began to surface from the dark pool of unconsciousness. I then felt – sluggishly through all the pain – them shaking my shoulders, trying further to bring me awake. I tiredly opened my eyes, not wanting to remember where I was.

If I was even still there. Would they sell me unconscious?

It was still dark. Still cold and damp, and I was definitely still on a stone floor. The shackles biting into my wrists and back from lying on my back was proof of that. I concentrated on getting my eyes focused; my vision was still cloudy from being hit so hard. When I could see clearly, I tried sitting up, but whoever it was that woke me, kept me from getting up.

That annoyed me. I may be injured, but it hurts like hell to lie on your arms the way I was. Throw in shackles and a host of other injuries, and I'm sure you can imagine I wasn't too pleased to be held down.

"It's okay, I'm here," a very familiar voice said, his warm hand brushing hair on my face aside. I froze. How did he get here? I looked upon my idiotic teammate - the one who wasn't supposed to be a help - in shock. I was relieved that he was the one waking me, and not one of the freaks that had brought me here.

I can't deny that at that moment when our eyes met, I felt something pass between us. It was if there was something mutual between us now that hadn't been there before. It was unnerving. I think I must have looked relieved because he relaxed too, the look in his eyes strange to me.

Then I remembered he was forcing me to lie on my arms and my eyes went cold again. That made the half smile of his disappear into a disappointed frown. What was he expecting? That'd I'd act like some stupid damsel in distress and gush my deepest gratitude to him? All while my arms were still chained, I'm sure.

"Why are you here?" I demanded quietly. He looked shocked at what I had said. The thought that I had to be rescued by him…how utterly embarrassing.

"Why do you think?" he muttered in response. I could tell he wasn't pleased that _I_ wasn't pleased to see him. Guess I can still hide the majority of how I'm feeling. Sure, I was annoyed that I had to be saved by my idiot teammate, but I was still grateful that I wouldn't have to be raped by some sicko.

I'd let him know some other time.

Maybe.

"I would've been fine on my own."

"So that's why you were unconscious and bleeding on the floor?" he said incredulously. Well. He had a point. Finally noticing that my hands were bound, he helped me into a sitting position, and unlocked them.

"Shut up. I would've woken sooner or later," I muttered, gingerly rubbing my wrists. As I had suspected, they were chaffed and ached like hell. Nothing compared to the rest of my injuries, but I didn't appreciate the unnecessary wound.

"Yes, probably in some freak's bed as they groped you." I glared at him. As if he was any better. I turned away, letting out a sigh, knowing he was more than likely right. With how much trouble he had waking me? That's probably where I would've woken.

"Did you bring any bandages with you?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the floor. It wasn't until it was gone that I noticed that his hand had been resting on my shoulder. As he got out what he brought – I can't believe he did – I tentatively touched where his hand had been.

"I was worried…so I brought as much as I could carry…" he said, arranging them on the floor.

"Worried? About me?" I scoffed, but my face felt warm at his concern. No one had ever cared about my welfare in the past. Not the way his voice sounded. It made my heart leap into my throat, that feeling – the stupid one – coming back.

"Clearly I had good reason…but that's beside the point. Where are you hurt?" he asked, moving hesitantly closer to me. Okay, that feeling can just go away now. It felt good for a second, but now it was making me seem stupid.

"A few places…" I started, taking a breath to clear my head as I pointed to my chest and legs. "Those are the worst areas. One of them had a sword." He nodded and gently opened my robe, revealing my wound and sending a chill up my spine. Was he _trying_ to seduce me?

He was very gentle with me, as if he pushed too hard, I'd cave in on myself. He kept hesitating too. But I couldn't complain. It did feel good, the way his hands would be just barely touching me.

Oh wow. I sound like some twit in junior high.

Well…considering I distanced myself from any situation that could bring about these feelings, I suppose I was at the same level of experience as someone that age. Hmm.

I dared a slight glance at him and I found him blushing in a way that made him look like he was 12 again. I let a small smile grace my lips, but a throb of pain wiped it away.

He got to my right leg and seemed confused, since the other leg had been wounded near the ankle. I swallowed hard. "It's ah…higher up…" I murmured, looking away. He gave me a funny look and lifted the robe away from my leg. If the removal of fabric from a wound wasn't as painful as it was, I probably would have been gasping for another reason. Did his hand honestly have to brush the inside of my leg the way it did? Jeeze…

Was I really so helpless attracted to someone obsessed with women?

It seemed so.

Jiraiya concentrated on his work, his movements less jerky. He cleaned and did everything well. Maybe I was imagining his earlier disposition. He couldn't have been nervous just because it was me he was working on, could he?

He turned away, collecting his things, leaving my leg exposed. I could see him glancing at me out of the corner of his eye while he put his things into his pouch. His eyes lingered on my upper, bandaged leg. I felt my face turn a dark red and I pulled my robe back closer to my body, covering most of what had been available to the eye.

He gave me a curious look and I knew he must be wondering why I was blushing like an idiot. Could I make anymore a fool of myself? First I get caught and whipped. Then he has to come rescue me. Now I was acting like some stupid love-struck child just because he had been close and his hands were all over me.

Pathetic.

I didn't have much time to wallow in my own self pity because what I had feared in the back of my mind came to fruition. At least 15 men flanked the doorway, giving us knowing looks.

"Well, well, well…it looks as though our prince has got a good friend…a lover, if we're lucky," the leader of the group sneered. Lover? What the hell? I glanced at Jiraiya, who had turned around to look at them, and I could see a fading blush. Hmm…

Wait, lucky? What did that mean?

Jiraiya tensed when they took a step towards us. Had I been in better shape, I would have done the same.

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_Review?_


	7. Chapter 7

_I really should be shot for making you wait this long. x.x; But here it is, nonetheless. Thanks soooo much to my reviewers, you guys are amazing! Jiraiya's pov, now read. :) _

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**Teamwork –part 4-**

I could have sworn I was quiet and took out the guards…so why were these guys here?

I suppose I had been a little loud waking Orochimaru…and I _had_ let those other people go… Whoops.

"Well, well, well…it looks as though our prince has got a good friend…a lover, if we're lucky," the leader sneered. Lover? I flushed. Was my body language that obvious, even when I wasn't paying attention to him? I could feel him glance at me confused, but I didn't look back.

Hold on…he said lucky. Why would it be lucky if that's what it was…? That had me worried.

They started walking towards us, and I tensed, my hand automatically going to my kunai container. I had to protect him, whatever it took. I didn't waste all that time finding him and fixing his wounds for nothing.

They laughed, "Oh look, he's going to protect him! Isn't that adorable?" My eyes narrowed. They were fools to be underestimating me the way they were. I drew out three kunai, aiming them at the closest men. They dodged them, but the blades still grazed their arms.

While they were busy with that, I made three clones of myself, knowing I wouldn't be able to beat 15 men completely on my own. That caught them off guard.

"He can make shadow clones?!"

Yes I can, you moron. I'm not _that_ pathetic. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all.

I started my assault, managing to finish off five of them before having to drop back slightly. Glancing to the side, I saw one of them coming fast. I had bad footing to dodge or to block, but I braced for it as best as I could.

The attack never came.

I opened my eyes, finding Orochimaru back on his feet, a frightening look in his golden eyes. The kunai in his hand was stained red; the guy that was going to attack me lay still at his feet.

How could he move so quickly in his condition?

I wasn't the only one surprised by his sudden influence in the fight. In fact, a few of the remaining bastards actually took a step back when they fell under his gaze.

"What's the matter, you aren't scared are you?" he sneered, taking a step towards them. He was trying hard to hide it, but there was still a slight limp to his step, and he was holding himself very tense, another sign he was still in a lot of pain.

"Why are you idiots standing here like frightened dogs? The bastard's half dead as it is, and his friend isn't so great, so get to work!" the leader shouted. Not so great? Ch- yeah right.

Within a blink of an eye, the remaining eight swarmed Orochimaru, who held his ground, despite how injured he already was. I was surprised how well he was managing, but even so, I came quickly to his aide. I didn't need him being a bloody mess again.

When they dropped back, he was breathing very hard and I could see some blood seeping through the bandages I had worked so hard on. I knew he was overdoing it. His legs gave out soon after, and he stayed on the ground after that, trying to catch his breath.

The leader of the group snickered, "Well, I guess we'll have a really high sale…pairs get even higher prices than fighters…"

I looked at him confused. "If you think I'm done, you're sadly mistaken," I said as the remaining thugs left the cell, the leader standing just in the doorway.

"Well, I'd rather not get anymore of my men killed, so we'll just keep both of you in here," he smirked, holding up the tools I had used to unlock the door. I lunged for them, but the door slammed shut in my face, a disgusting clicking noise filling the heavy silence. I heard a sigh and turned around.

"I should've known you would be useless." I have to admit, I felt pretty useless right about then. How could they have gotten those tools off of me? Damn pick-pockets…

I punched the door out of frustration, not even feeling the pain of it as some blood dripped to the floor. How could I have let this happen? I was supposed to rescue him…not get caught along with him. I sank to the floor, searching for an idea to get out of there.

The silence between us lasted for what seemed like an eternity. And surprisingly enough, he was the one to break it.

"We'll get out of here. We just have to wait for them to come back."

"They'll probably bring more thugs with them the next time and in your condition…" I said, depressed.

"What condition?" he asked, standing over me, a slight smile on his face.

"Um, the one that had you in a heap on the floor a few minutes ago?"

"I'll be fine, I heal quickly," he said, and to prove his point, he undid the bandage on his chest, showing that it was already closed. I was glad he was right and that by proving it he had to slip the top part of his robe off for a few minutes. Ha.

"That's great!" He smiled slightly again. But then I remembered how in the fight the other wounds must have reopened, but I decided not to mention it. I was distracted by a sharp throb of pain that crawled angrily up my arm from my hand. I glanced at it and winced. This is why I shouldn't be melodramatic, I tend to overdo it. At least it had been my left hand.

He must have seen my hand, because he knelt next to me, and held out a hand for the bandages I had put away. I brought them back out and handed them to him, and for some reason, when our hands brushed against each other, both of us stalled slightly.

If his head hadn't been tilted down to work, I bet I would've found a slight red tinge to his face. I smiled slightly, his nimble hands fixing mine in a matter of seconds.

"So, uh…what should we do while we wait?" I asked, not wanting the room to plunge into another silent spell.

"I don't really care what you do, but try to stay alert for the next few hours. I need sleep," he replied, returning to his feet to walk to the other side of the cell. I felt a little dejected as he sat down and closed his eyes. I was quite sure I was much softer than the stone wall he was leaning against.

I let out a low sigh, and turned to face the door, my back to him. If I watched him sleep, I'd get distracted, and I needed to be alert, so…

I managed to keep my back to him for about a half hour before my curiosity took over. At first all I did was glance back to see if he had actually fallen asleep. From the looks of things, he was already fast asleep, still leaning against the wall.

I was still a little miffed that he hadn't just leaned against me, but that wasn't something he would do. Seems like I was dreaming too high again. Still, it would've been nice to have his warm body against mine in that dank cell.

Yep, there I go again, getting completely distracted. I wasn't even facing him, but that one glance had been enough. As hard as I tried not to, I kept imagining him lying against my chest, and I could hardly concentrate with that on my mind.

I gingerly got to my feet after another hour of daydreaming and approached him slowly. He seemed to be out cold, but I had been mistaken before. When I was standing over him and he still hadn't stirred, I figured he wasn't faking so I knelt down next to him.

His breathing was very slow, a sign that he was deeply asleep. It didn't surprise me much with how worn out he must be. The slowness of his breathing tempted me to try and get behind him, but I decided against it. When he did wake up, I'd have a lot of explaining to do. I was better off just fawning over him until I heard footsteps outside.

Letting out a small sigh, I leaned against the wall beside him. After all, I could watch the door just as easily from here as I could from right in front of it.

The time dragged on and on and with no way of telling what time of day it was, I grew restless. I got to my feet and paced around the cell, raking my mind for ideas to escape, but it seemed that the harder I thought, the farther away an idea seemed to get. Planning wasn't really my forte to begin with, that was what Orochimaru was good at. I usually just acted on instinct in a sticky situation, and sometimes it worked, others, not so much. Our current predicament was a perfect example of how my instincts backfire everyone once in a while.

After another hour or so of that, I gave up and sat back down next to him. He still hadn't moved, which was probably a good thing. It meant his body was working like crazy to heal him. Letting out a low sigh, I realized I was tired as well. But I knew if I fell asleep and he woke up, he'd be furious, so I tried as hard as I could to stay awake.

Try as I might, I began to doze. It's really hard to stay awake in pitch blackness, then add the fact that I had someone fast asleep right next to me and it equaled my downfall.

It felt like I had just closed my eyes when I felt his head hit my shoulder.

That woke me up.

If he stayed like that, he'd wake up – his neck was bent at an unnatural angle. I gently shifted him so that he ended up in my lap, sideways. I cradled his head against chest and he continued sleeping peacefully as if nothing happened.

So much for not getting myself into a compromising position with him.

I couldn't help but flush in contentment. I mean, c'mon. He was in my _lap_, and his head was resting on the crook of my neck, like he was cuddling me. I smiled and resisted the urge to run a hand through his dark hair.

Instead, I gingerly slipped my arms around him, so that he wouldn't shift and hit his head on something – he would have if I hadn't been there. If those thugs come back now, they probably really _will_ think we're lovers. I know I'd think so.

I still don't quite understand why they thought it would be beneficial if we were like that. Unless…there were freaks that just wanted to watch instead of actually partake of their sales…

I shuddered.

As bad as it was, it gave me an idea as to how we could get out of there. I'm sure they'd be rather distracted – one way or another – if they saw us doing something inappropriate. And while they were distracted, we'd attack and get the hell out of there.

Ha. Seems I _could_ plan something if I really tried.

Now all I waited for was Orochimaru to wake up so I could tell him my idea. I had a feeling he wouldn't be quite as enthusiastic about it as I was. Oh well, I could be wrong.

He slept for what felt like only an hour more – I don't know how he could've been fully rested. I was starting to doze again when he stirred. I was immediately wide awake when I felt him move.

I held my breath as he slowly opened his golden eyes. Sure, it was technically the second time I'd seen him sleepy, but this time he was waking from a normal sleep instead of a pain induced unconsciousness.

He let out a small sigh, that adorable blush coming to his face again as he squeezed his eyes shut, and he actually snuggled _closer_ to me. I was in shock for a few minutes until I realized he had fallen back asleep.

Apparently his subconscious mind was attracted to me. I smirked at that thought, but another quickly wiped it away. What good would it be if his conscious one wasn't? He had, after all, walked all the way across the room away from me to fall asleep the first time.

I decided he had only done that because he didn't want to ruin his pride. I don't know why he was always so determined to show everyone he didn't need anyone when it was so obvious that he did. I mean, how could he _not_ be lonely? I heard somewhere once that his parents died when he was really young and that he's been living alone ever since.

Having just recently moved out on my own, I know how hard it can be to come home to an empty apartment. And he's been doing that for almost his entire life? I just can't imagine it.

I was yanked from my thoughts when he stirred for the second time. I hadn't a clue how much time had gone by, but this time he really did wake up.

He seemed disorientated, and his expression made me believe he was thinking, where am I?

I gulped. How was I going to explain this? He tilted his head up, finding me staring back at him. He kept our gazes locked for a few moments before speaking.

"Why am I in your _lap_?" he asked, the emphasis on the word meant he wasn't pleased. He said it as if the mere thought made him sick.

Uh oh.

His eyes flickered to my arms around his waist, and I immediately removed them. I was too nervous to even bother checking what his expression was.

"You shifted in your sleep, and I didn't want you to hit your head on the floor." Hey, at least it was the truth.

He looked at me perplexed, "That doesn't really explain it, Jiraiya. If that were the case, you could have just repositioned me." Wait a second. Did Orochimaru seriously just set himself up for that? Because it's not like him to make that big of a mistake when speaking. He _must_ be tired.

"That's exactly what I did idiot, incase you didn't notice. I knew if you were against me, you wouldn't have the chance to fall over," I smirked. So there. About time I got one-up on him.

He paused for a moment, a small scowl on his face as he thought it over. Looks like he realized he messed up. "Fair enough," he finally murmured before getting to his feet. I immediately missed his warmth. That cell was pretty cold when he wasn't nestled in my arms. "So, any sign of our capturers?" he asked.

"None yet. But that reminds me…I got an idea while you were sleeping," I said, feeling a grin tugging at the corners of my mouth. He looked back at me strangely.

"_You_ got an _idea_?" He makes it sound like it's a difficulty for me to make a coherent thought. Ass.

"Yes."

"Well, what is it?" he pressed, turning back around to face me fully. It was a little annoying, considering he was looking down on me – he was standing, I was still sitting. Getting to my feet to even that out, I answered.

"I'm sure you remember when those bastards thought it would be 'lucky' if we were an item, right?"

"What's your point," he said flatly, crossing his arms over his chest. I could tell already he didn't like where this was headed. Whatever.

"Well, we could make a diversion with clones. They could be doing something…um…interesting while we waited against the wall for the door to open."

"You aren't serious…are you?" he asked exasperated. Of course I was serious, jeeze. When he could tell I wasn't joking, he asked, "Just what do you mean…interesting…?"

"Um…well…you know why they're kidnapping people…_that_ kind of interesting." He flushed a deep red. I felt my own face get warm from his obvious embarrassment. Now that it was out in the open, it seemed like a dumb idea. Or an idea someone who's desperate for a reason to get close to their pale teammate would come up with. Shit.

"I don't see how that would work. We don't have a clue when they're going to come back. By the time we know they're coming, it won't be enough time to create clones, and also have them doing…something, while we wait against the wall." Now he was picking it apart…could it get worse? At least he hadn't quite got what I meant.

"You misunderstood me. We would have them doing that so it would draw their attention to see why there was so much noise coming from our cell," I explained, and he looked at me irritated.

"I refuse to have even a clone of myself screaming your name, Jiraiya, much less what else it'll be doing," he shuddered slightly, his face a nice shade of red as he closed his eyes, "I'll think of something."

"Why is it such a problem? It's not like you'll actually be doing it," I shot back defensively. He shook his head in the way you do when a child makes a silly statement.

"Just in case you didn't know, moron, whatever your clone experiences – when it dissipates – transfers to your real body. What good would they be otherwise?" he muttered.

Well damn. I had forgotten about that. Oops?

"So? It's not like I'm asking you to make it have se-" I started.

"No is _no_, Jiraiya."

"What, are you afraid of having an intimate experience?" I asked, eyebrow raised. He was being stubborn, like usual.

"Don't be stupid, of course I'm not," he muttered, looking away from me. Oh yeah, like that wasn't a clear indicator that he _was_ afraid.

"Then why is it such a problem?" Depending on his answer, I could find out whether or not he liked me. At least I wouldn't have to ask him directly. Now…if he was being honest or not, well, that's a different story. But I could usually tell with him.

"Because – I…" he started, clearly trying to think of something to say. He was going to lie, I could almost taste it. Before he could finish, however, I heard very faint footsteps that sounded as if they were on the stairs leading to our level.

We both noticed, since during our argument we had both drifted closer to the door. His face lost the embarrassed/nervous expression and immediately became serious. I held back a sigh. Of course they'd have to come right when he was about to spill something.

Damn it.

He motioned me to join him on the left side of the door so that we could both attack right away. He stood in front of me, and I sidled a little closer to him.

"On my signal, attack," he whispered, barely loud enough for even me to hear and I was close enough to put my chin on his shoulder. I nodded, and we waited.

Hearing the key in the lock, my heart started to beat faster. Orochimaru deftly lifted his hand, the palm facing away from me. I knew it well enough, as soon as he bent his hand down, we'd go, but I didn't really need his signal. As soon as the door opened, we'd attack. That much was simple.

At least I hoped so.

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_Review?_


	8. Chapter 8

_This was a little quicker, yes? Hope it makes up for the upcoming delay...sorry. Thanks sooooooo much to my reviewers, I love you guys! As to those who don't review...well, phooey on you. 'Neways, 'tis the new chapter, and its from Oro-kun's perspective. Enjoy:)_

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**Teamwork –part 4–**

The minute Jiraiya tensed, his hand going to his kunai container, a few of the thugs let out low snickers.

"Oh look, he's going to protect him! Isn't that adorable?" That irritated me. I could tell it stabbed at Jiraiya's pride as well. He never was one to enjoy being underestimated and they were making a fool of him. After throwing a few kunai – all of which managed to make some mark – he made three clones.

It was a nice change to see him serious about something for a change. I usually had to pick up his slack in fights, but I decided to see how well he could without my help.

I watched as he charged forward – not the smartest of ways – and began his attack. Despite my views of his ability, he seemed to be holding his own very easily. He managed to floor five of them before they forced him back.

That was when I saw it. While he had been distracted fighting the ones in front of him, one of the thugs had slipped off to the side. I glanced back at Jiraiya, who had noticed it too, but his stance was all wrong for defense.

Grabbing a kunai that had skidded to a halt in front of me, I jumped to my feet. I met the bastard inches before his blade could hit Jiraiya, mine sinking deep into his chest. Yanking it back out, he fell to the floor. I looked coldly at his still form before raising my gaze to the remaining thugs. They quailed. Even Jiraiya's gaze seemed scared.

I smirked. Good, so they _do_ know what fear is.

"What's the matter, you aren't scared are you?" I taunted, taking a step towards them. I tried to ignore the pain that shot through my body from such a simple motion. Apparently the adrenaline had cancelled it out when I protected Jiraiya. Damn it.

"Why are you idiots standing here like frightened dogs? The bastard's half dead as it is, and his friend isn't so great, so get to work!" the leader shouted. I suppose I hadn't scared him. Oh well. He'll learn one way or another. But at the moment, I had more important things to deal with, mainly the fact that _all_ of the thugs ganged up on me at once.

They certainly know how to fight fair. Honestly.

I fought them off despite my injuries. I really didn't have a choice. Just as I began to think I couldn't keep it up any longer, Jiraiya got them away from me. I remained on my feet for maybe a split second before collapsing to the ground, my breath coming ragged and short. I glanced down at my wounds and winced, seeing that they had reopened under the bandages.

The leader's laugh tore my attention away from them. "Well, I guess we'll have a really high sale…pairs get even higher prices than fighters…"

What the hell did that mean?

"If you think I'm done, you're sadly mistaken," Jiraiya insisted as the few remaining thugs vacated the cell. I could already feel it, they were going to trap both of us in here, and Jiraiya was just standing there. I was about to speak up, but a wave of intense pain stole the words from my mouth.

"Well, I'd rather not get anymore of my men killed, so we'll just keep both of you in here," he smirked, holding up Jiraiya's tools teasingly. The idiot finally moved, but it was already too late. The door slammed shut in his face followed by the click of the lock.

I sighed. "I should've known you would be useless," I muttered. It may have been harsh given the situation, but it was his fault we were both stuck in here now. If he had just attacked him instead of sounding cocky…

The momentary silence was broken by a loud thud. I looked up just as a few drops of blood fell to the floor. I couldn't believe he'd done that…like punching the door would help us. If Tsunade were here, that would be a different story, but I doubt she would have allowed herself to be caught in the first place.

I mentally kicked myself for thinking about that. It was pointless to dream about something that wasn't going to happen – our medic-in-training was miles away, pouring over books.

The room remained silent for a while, giving me a chance to think. We may not have a means to get out on our own, but there would be a time when they would _have_ to return, and that meant they'd have to open the door.

And at the instant, we'd have the advantage.

"We'll get out of here. We just have to wait for them to come back," I murmured. My voice sounded loud in the dead silence.

"They'll probably bring more thugs with them the next time and in your condition…" Jiraiya trailed off, clearly not convinced. I scowled momentarily, getting to my feet.

"What condition?" I asked, standing over him, feeling the corners of my mouth go up.

"Um, the one that had you in a heap on the floor a few minutes ago?" Time to surprise him again.

"I'll be fine, I heal quickly," I said. Slipping my arms out of my robe, I undid the bandages on my chest, showing the wound there was mostly gone. He managed a shocked and relieved look all at once.

"That's great!" I smiled slightly, but his joy vanished in a scowl of pain. I held back a sigh and knelt down next to him and held out my hand for bandages. He had gone to the trouble for me, so it was the least I could do. As I took them from his hand, my hand brushed his and for a split second we both hesitated.

I ducked my head and quickly started my work, not wanting to meet his gaze. I couldn't believe I was acting stupid again…nor could I believe how hard my heart was drumming against my chest.

This attraction thing really wasn't good for my health.

When I was finished, he spoke up.

"So, uh…what should we do while we wait?" he asked uncertainly.

"I don't really care what you do, but try to stay alert for the next few hours. I need sleep," I replied, getting to my feet and walking to the other side of the cell. I didn't want to risk losing rest via distraction. The farther I was from him, the better.

I closed my eyes and willed myself to fall asleep. Surprisingly enough, it came almost instantly. I was, however, plagued by dreams that were far more distracting than sitting near to my idiotic teammate could ever be.

They were a well blended mix of reality and fantasy. The first being a repeat of the dream I had had the night of our traveling, where I apparently died. That morphed into the scene not long ago we shared in the cell, his frantic shouting and shaking… I could almost feel his hand gripping my shoulders all over again it was so real.

I guess you could say that was the first phase of dreams I had. The second seemed to be the stupid feeling's concoction. It recalled, in a hazy heat, the way I woke in the hotel, cradled in Jiraiya's arms. It was slightly altered from the real version, as he woke up and…

Well, not that it really matters. It didn't _actually_ happen, so why should I bother thinking about it?

And really, who cares if it felt so real that I swore I'd know what the curve of his lips felt like?

Yeah.

Anyway.

After that dream, I felt as though I was being cradled again. The warmth felt very good, and for some reason, I felt more at ease in this renewed comfort. I vaguely remember barely opening my eyes for a moment – it was hard to tell if I was still dreaming or not – but the embraced feeling remained so I closed my eyes again, content.

Maybe the clearer dreams weren't so bad after all. They were, after all, a good way to let the stupid feeling run rampant without making me look like a fool. At least I hoped so. If I was muttering things in my sleep… I could only imagine the consequences that could hold.

I felt myself slip into a deeper sleep, this time the dream I had was completely new. It was the first I'd had that involved my current predicament. The captor's words had apparently seeped into my subconscious mind, brewing up this bizarrely enjoyable dream, even if it was a little disturbing.

"…_lovers, if we're lucky…pairs get even higher prices than fighters…"_ The words seemed to echo in my mind as the darkness slowly evaporated. I found myself in a dimly lit room, surprised that it wasn't the cell I had just been in.

Taking a better look at my surrounds, now that my eyes had adjusted, I noticed I was in a decently furnished room. And I was in a bed. That made my heart speed up…had I been sold? I was very confused, and for one of the first times in my life, scared.

"You're awake…about time, snake-face."

I lost my breath for a moment. Why the _hell_ was Jiraiya there? And from the closeness of his voice, in bed with me. I looked over at him speechless, finding him shirtless. I silently prayed the rest of his clothing was intact, even though I _was_ slightly distracted by his tan, toned chest.

He grinned, "You seem surprised…did you already forget? Or did I just wear you out that badly?"

That threw me even farther than I already was. "Forget what?" I asked slowly, afraid of what his answer would be.

He let out a sigh, "Ah jeeze… We beat those idiots, brought them back to Konoha and Sensei rewarded us quite nicely. So we decided to live it up and rent this suite after being in that dank cell. After that…well, you must remember that much at least. I wasn't exactly gentle once we got going," he smirked. Now I was really mystified. How could I not remember such a thing? And what the hell did he mean by "got going"?

If, knowing Jiraiya the way I do, that meant we had done _that_…I immediately checked to see if I was clothed. I let out a relieved sigh, finding that only my shirt was missing. Still, that was strange for me. He laughed, drawing me close to him. I stiffened. What the hell was going on?

"C'mon…don't go playing the coldhearted snake again after the way you were a little while ago…I like your affectionate side much better."

Affectionate side? Now I _knew_ I must be dreaming. Sure, I liked the way I felt when I allowed the stupid feeling to take over for a little bit, but to allow it to go that far? Never. Affection led to weakness, and I wanted no part of that. At least not the whole package.

My thoughts scattered when he nuzzled my neck, my stomach plummeting in a strangely pleasant way. "Lighten up a little, would you?" he murmured, his warm breath caressing my shoulder, his hand gently running the length of my side. I couldn't help but relax at his coaxing. He seemed pleased when I softened, and I let my guard down for a moment, enjoying it far too much.

"That's more like it."

"Shut up."

"'Kay." For some reason, I didn't feel like fighting off the stupid feeling, or my supposedly "woman-obsessed" teammate for that matter. It certainly felt better to be held like this than to be alone. I let my eyes slip shut, feeling at peace for a change.

The next time I opened my eyes, I found myself back in the dark, cold cell.

What the hell?

So it had been a dream…for some reason that partially relieved me, but I still felt a little disappointed.

Then I realized I wasn't where I had fallen asleep. In fact, I was quite comfortable. I ignored my accelerated heartbeat and looked up, finding Jiraiya's guilty face looking back at me. I tried to put things together, but I was still distracted by the dream, and waking in his arms wasn't exactly helping me forget it quickly.

"Why am I in your _lap_?" I asked, my voice sounding strangely cold. Hmm. I looked down and found his arms linked around my waist, holding me securely to him. They immediately moved and the noticeable loss of heat made me frown slightly.

"You shifted in your sleep, and I didn't want you to hit your head on the floor."

I looked back at him confused, "That doesn't really explain it, Jiraiya. If that were the case, you could have just repositioned me." That seemed more logical than my ending up in his lap…though I wasn't about to complain.

"That's exactly what I did idiot, incase you didn't notice. I knew if you were against me, you wouldn't have the chance to fall over," he smirked.

Oh. Duh.

This is why I hate being distracted; it turns me into a fool. I felt a small scowl come to my face, realizing he was expecting a response.

"Fair enough," I murmured, getting to my feet. I fought off the shiver that accompanied the sudden loss of heat. It was colder in here than I had remembered. Disregarding it, I asked, "So, any sign of our captors?" he asked.

"None yet. But that reminds me…I got an idea while you were sleeping," he said, starting to grin. I looked back at him cautiously. Somehow I just _knew_ that if he had come up with it, it wasn't going to be good.

"_You_ got an _idea_?" I asked, not sure I even wanted to know.

"Yes."

"Well, what is it?" I pressed, turning around to face him. He scrambled to his feet before answering.

"I'm sure you remember when those bastards thought it would be 'lucky' if we were an item, right?"

I knew it would be bad.

"What's your point," I said flatly, crossing my arms across my chest. I silently hoped my tone would discourage him. But of course, he was too stubborn for that.

"Well, we could make a diversion with clones. They could be doing something…um…interesting while we waited against the wall for the door to open."

"You aren't serious…are you?" I asked, exasperated. He nodded, continuing to look at me stubbornly the way a child looks when you say their ideas are silly. Taking a deep breath, I asked, "Just what do you mean…interesting…?"

"Um…well…you know why they're kidnapping people…_that_ kind of interesting." I felt my face turn a dark red, his idea and my much too recent dream filling me with embarrassment. He flushed too, apparently realizing what his idea really meant.

"I don't see how that would work. We don't have a clue when they're going to come back. By the time we know they're coming, it won't be enough time to create clones, and also have them doing…something, while we wait against the wall." At least that's what I thought he meant. I still couldn't believe he'd thought of _that_…

"You misunderstood me. We would have them doing that so it would draw their attention to see why there was so much noise coming from our cell," he explained. For some reason, that irritated me…like he just _knew_ I'd accept it without question. Hardly.

"I refuse to have even a clone of myself screaming your name, Jiraiya, much less what else it'll be doing," I shuddered for a variety of reasons. _"…I wasn't exactly gentle when we got going…"_ That dream was really proving to be haunting. "I'll think of something."

"Why is it such a problem? It's not like you'll actually be doing it," he shot back. I shook my head. He really was clueless sometimes.

"Just in case you didn't know, moron, whatever your clone experiences – when it dissipates – transfers to your real body. What good would they be otherwise?" I muttered.

"So? It's not like I'm asking you to make it have se-" he started, but I immediately cut him off, not wanting to hear the word.

"No is _no_, Jiraiya."

"What, are you afraid of having an intimate experience?" he asked skeptically. That made me even more suspicious of him than I already was. I began to wonder if he wasn't hiding the same thing I was.

"Don't be stupid, of course I'm not," I muttered, looking away. I just wasn't ready so shortly after dreaming I had. Especially not when he was the one I dreamt I had done that with…

"Then why is it such a problem?" That caught me off guard. How could I possibly answer it without giving away what I was desperately trying to hide?

"Because – I…" I began, struggling to find the right words, words that wouldn't give anything important away.

Just then, I heard something that would get me out of having to answer – footsteps.

Relieved, I banished my thoughts to deal with the far more important situation. Motioning for Jiraiya to join me, I slipped to the left of the door.

When he was close – perhaps a little more so than I would have liked, given the situation – I said, as quietly as I could, "On my signal, attack." We'd catch them off-guard. After all, it hadn't been very loud before we heard them, so maybe they'd think we were asleep? Even if we weren't that lucky, I doubted they would assume we'd be lying in wait. They weren't exactly the brightest.

That's at least what I hoped for, but my luck hadn't been the greatest as of late.

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_Review?_


	9. Chapter 9

_Woo...another update. :) I finally got a decent writing mood the other day, so I wrote this up. (And most of the next chapter as well.) Thanks to all of my reviewers! I love you guys so much. I'm sure you guys can remember who's p.o.v. this is in, ne? Enjoy!_

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**Teamwork – part 5 – **

We heard the lock click open, but Orochimaru's hand remained motionless. I was hit with a moment of inspiration as he stalled. It would be tricky, but it would give us the best back-up we could get. I made a series of hand signs. The result was exactly what I had wanted: two shadow clones hidden under my concealment jutsu. I felt Orochimaru give me a confused glance before returning his attention to the door. I sent the clones to about the center of the room to wait.

The door slowly opened, and I grew impatient that Orochimaru still waited to give me the signal. He continued to draw it out even as the first of the thugs entered.

"Huh, that's weird; I wonder where they're hiding…? Probably caught them in the act," he remarked, signaling for the rest of the men to follow him in. Now it made sense, Orochimaru was just waiting until he knew how many we'd be facing.

Clever little snake, I'll give him that.

Once all of them had entered, he dropped his hand and pointed to the last of them, so that one couldn't escape and inform someone of the fight.

He got to the first on his own, quickly silencing him by…well, I'm sure you can imagine. I attacked the next three in line, making the most out of my invisible allies. The only one remaining was the one who opened the door.

"Have you guys found them yet? You're awfully quiet," he asked turning around. Orochimaru was on him in the blink of an eye, kunai held close at his throat.

"They found us, but not in the manner they expected," he said coolly, the kunai pricking the skin of the thug's neck. "Why don't you make this easy on all of us, and tell me everything you know?"

The man scowled, but the kunai dug a little deeper, causing him to stiffen. "You really think your scrawny ass will be able to hold me?" he shot back, but my clones were close enough, and latched onto his arms, allowing Orochimaru to continue his interrogation.

"Fool. We're not as unprepared as _you'd_ like to think. Now start talking or I'll get it out of someone else."

"Do as you please, but you won't get the information as easily as you think."

"What do you mean?" I asked, sensing that if he continued to taunt him, Orochimaru would kill him without another thought.

"It's simple, none of us will talk, not even our leader."

"Is that so…we'll see about that," Orochimaru mused. I let out a low sigh, my interjection had done the trick, he'd calmed down. Now that he didn't have to hold onto the bastard anymore, his hands were free to make seals. His hands moved much faster than I remembered from training, but I could tell that he was working on genjutsu.

Hmm. Torture them mentally, huh? Sounds like what he's been doing to me lately. Though, he doesn't need genjutsu with me. Too bad there isn't a jutsu that would allow you to read someone's mind…

It only seemed like a few minutes had passed and already the tough guy was pleading to tell us everything he knew. I shuddered, trying to imagine just what Orochimaru had done to him to get him in this state.

"I'll tell you everything…just don't do that again…!"

I could see a smug smile come to Orochimaru's face, "That's more like it… Now then, we already know a little about your plans, however, we don't know when you're holding your 'show', care to give us a date, as well as a location?"

"It's happening this weekend…but since most of our slaves were set free," he glared momentarily at me, "the leader was thinking of pushing it back a week. As for the location, it will be around here somewhere."

"I see…and this leader of yours, where is he?"

"He's in the hideout, just upstairs." He was that close? I began to wonder if he couldn't overhear what was transpiring down here.

"Well, that makes things easier," Orochimaru mused. "You've fulfilled your usefulness," he murmured, drawing the hand with the kunai up. He was going to kill him.

I quickly grabbed his wrist to stop him. "He did what you wanted…we can just leave him here locked up. We don't have to kill him," I insisted. He glowered at me and tried to tug his hand free, but I kept an iron grip on him.

"And what if wants to be loud and draw attention to himself?" he asked through his teeth, angered. "What then, idiot?"

"If you're worried about that, we can gag and bind him." He scowled and stopped resisting against my hold. I wasn't entirely sure if I could trust Orochimaru's temper quite yet, so I continued to grasp his wrist as I used my other hand to grab the keys off the thug.

"Do you even have any means in which to do that?" Orochimaru asked skeptically.

"It's not much, but it'll be enough," I muttered. "Can you control yourself? It'll be easier for me to do this with two hands." His face burned red and he looked away, annoyed. I took that as a yes, and dropped his wrist.

I grabbed a scroll from my back pouch and unrolled it. I didn't think I'd need to use it, but I was glad I had brought it along, as it contained rope and extra cloth. Once I summoned the items and tied up the thug, Orochimaru seemed mildly impressed. I smirked slightly and nodded my head in the direction of the door.

Once outside the cell, I led the way, somewhat in shock at how well things were going for us, when up until this point they had been so horrible.

For the first part of our assent, silence reigned, but if we were going to do this successfully, we'd need some kind of plan of action.

"What next?" I asked quietly as we inched up the stairs.

"We 'talk' to the leader, of course."

"I guess that makes sense…" Even though it hadn't really answered my question.

"Good, now hush, we can't allow ourselves to be caught again."

I sorely wanted to remind him that it was _he_ who was originally caught because of _his_ idea, but I decided to save that for another time. We soon reached the top level and still hadn't met with any trouble. I was grateful for that, but I wasn't dumb enough to let my guard down as I had done before.

Judging by the light that squeezed under and around the door frame, it must have been morning. Now that it was a little lighter, I noticed another door, one that didn't lead outside.

We padded across the room towards the door. I went to one side, Orochimaru went to the other. I held my breath, easily hearing voices inside.

"We'll wait until they come out," Orochimaru mouthed to me. I nodded and strained to understand what was being said inside.

"…can't have it in two days. We don't have enough."

"Damn that prick…what village was he from again?"

"They said it was Konoha. Go figure. I'd love to see their Hokage's expression when he finds out two of his pawns are going to be sold." I had a feeling that was the leader speaking; he sounded way too cocky to be an underling. The others in the room laughed.

"Yeah, some shinobi…what kind of _ninja_ gets caught and sold into sex slavery?" They laughed again. Although I was irritated, I couldn't help but gloat silently to myself. They were in for a rude awakening when they opened the door.

"Speaking of which, shouldn't that idiot be back from visiting them?"

"You make a good point. Let's go check up on him." Chairs scratched across the floor and footsteps drew closer to the door. I looked up just as Orochimaru did, our eyes meeting momentarily. His eyes looked like molten gold, burning with anger and annoyance. I realized the earlier stab had been directed at him. I wasn't sure I could – much less want to – stop him if he wanted to kill the one who said that. The bastard certainly had it coming.

The door flew open, blocking my teammate from view. I picked the good side and stayed glued against the wall so they wouldn't see me at first. I waited for them to exit to make my presence known. I guess Orochimaru's tactics were wearing off on me. There were three people that left the room: one, the last to leave, was conspicuously the leader. I managed to grab him while Orochimaru made quick work of the other two.

"The kind of ninja that gets caught is also the kind that likes to kill pathetic thugs," he spat scornfully at their motionless forms. I felt the leader shiver under my grip. Looks like Orochimaru had managed to intimidate him already. "Well, well, it looks like you caught the fattest rat, Jiraiya," he commented, looking up.

"What do you think is the best way to deal with him?" I asked, tightening my grip when he started to squirm.

"I wouldn't mind teaching him a lesson as well, but alas, that would go against our mission. I guess I'll just have to be boring and contact the Anbu," he sighed, distain heavy in his voice. If he hadn't sounded so bloodthirsty, I probably would've laughed. "Keep an eye on him, I'll be back in a moment," he instructed, heading outside.

"Cocky, feminine bastard…who the hell taught him to behave like that?" the leader muttered, irritated.

"No one did, he's been an orphan for most of his life, now keep your mouth shut," I informed coldly.

"Ooooh, how heartbreaking. It's even more of a shame that you obey him…perhaps more than duty drives you in that respect…?" he taunted.

Honestly.

Didn't this guy realize the game was over, that he had lost?

Regardless, I was glad he couldn't see my face. It felt warm for two reasons, one, he just mocked me, two, he had hit it right on the head. I normally would've protested about having to baby-sit, but now…

"Didn't I tell you to keep your mouth shut?" I said, masking as much emotion as possible.

"Well, that proves it. Too bad things didn't go differently…I would've gotten a _lot_ of money for you two…" That was about all I could take. He'd be easier to transport if he was unconscious anyway. After hitting him hard in the back of the neck, I let him hit the floor with a dull thud. Orochimaru returned shortly after.

"Looks like you're one step ahead of me for a change," he commented, looking at the unconscious leader with distaste. "The Anbu will be here shortly to pick that up." Now I was confused…he hadn't been gone for more than 15 minutes…

"How did you get in contact with them so quickly?"

"Simple, Jiraiya. Before we left for this mission, I had one of my snakes waiting back in Konoha. All I had to do was explain the situation to him and then he could relay it to Sensei. Can't you do that with your toads?" he asked teasingly. I scowled and he laughed. At least he was in a better mood. I really didn't like him when he was bitter and bloodthirsty.

"So anyway, now that we've contacted them, all we have to do is wait for them to arrive, right?" I asked, changing the subject.

"That's pretty much it. Once this bastard is in their custody, our part of the mission is mostly over. We'll just have to fill out a report and then we're done," he explained. I let out a sigh of relief; finally this stupid mission was almost over.

But without the mission to distract us…would I be able to get Orochimaru to say what he was about to before we heard those footsteps?

This mission may be almost over, but a new mission – one that didn't have anything to do with being a ninja – was just beginning.

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_Review?_


	10. Chapter 10

_This took me a lot longer than it should have, but it was giving me fits. (scowls) But, I have the next two chapters (of Jira's pov, at least) written up in a notebook, so I should be updating again shortly. Hooray! As always, I adore all my faithful reviewers. I heart you guys so much! And I'm sure everyone knows who's pov this if from, so I'll shut up and let you read. Enjoy!_

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**Teamwork – part 5 – **

The lock clicked open, but I kept my hand steady. I felt Jiraiya move behind me, but it only appeared to be his hands. I shot him a confused glance before keeping my eyes on the door. What was he up to?

I waited patiently as the door opened, still not giving the signal as the first entered.

"Huh, that's weird; I wonder where they're hiding…? Probably caught them in the act," he remarked, motioning for the rest of his men to come in as well.

About time.

When the last had stepped inside, I dropped my hand, motioning from the back to the front, so that none could escape. Jiraiya understood and went after the ones in front of the one I went for. I quickly slit his throat, silencing any alarms he might raise. I let him slip quietly to the floor before turning my attention to the first one to enter.

"Have you guys found them yet? You're awfully quiet," he asked, turning around. That's what I had been waiting for. I darted behind him, pinning the kunai against his throat.

"They found us, but not in the manner they expected," I said coolly. "Why don't you make this easy on all of us, and tell me everything you know?" When he didn't respond immediately, I brought the blade a little closer to prompt his speech.

"You really think your scrawny ass will be able to hold me?" he shot back. I narrowed my eyes, ready to hold him as tightly as I could, but I felt something else brush against my arms and I noticed that the thug was fighting against something. Invisible clones?

Interesting…

"Fool. We're not as unprepared as _you'd_ like to think. Now start talking or I'll get it out of someone else," I demanded, glad to have my arms free.

"Do as you please, but you won't get the information as easily as you think." Arrogant bastard…

"What do you mean?" Jiraiya interjected.

"It's simple, none of us will talk, not even our leader."

"Is that so…we'll see about that," I mused, glad that Jiraiya's question had given me a chance to clear my head. I knew just the thing that would have him babbling in no time. Dropping the kunai, I began to weave an intricate set of hand signs of a genjutsu that not many people knew.

It allowed you to mess with your opponents head…make them think that what they were seeing was actually happening. It sure was a pain to steal that forbidden scroll…but it was definitely paying off now.

As much as I'd love to really toy with him, I knew I should just keep to the basics…seeing their own death and the like. He was shaking like a leaf before I had even finished the technique.

"I'll tell you everything…just don't do that again…!"

Pathetic, but exactly what I had wanted.

I let a smirk come to my face, "That's more like it… Now then, we already know a little about your plans, however, we don't know when you're holding your 'show', care to give us a date, as well as a location?"

"It's happening this weekend…but since most of our slaves were sent free," he shot a glare in Jiraiya's direction, "the leader was thinking of pushing it back a week. As for the location, it will be around here somewhere."

"I see…and this leader of yours, where is he?"

"He's in the hideout, just upstairs." My, for someone how had been so cocky about not talking certainly was spilling everything now. I guess visualizing your own death will do that to a person. And what luck…to have the lead idiot right above our heads. Quite convenient.

"Well, that makes thing easier," I mused. "You've fulfilled your usefulness," I murmured, picking the kunai back up. It was the merciful thing to do after all he'd said.

Too bad someone else didn't think the same ways I did.

Jiraiya grabbed my wrist, "He did what you wanted…we can just leave him here locked up. We don't have to kill him," he insisted. How simpleminded he was…he was just too soft sometimes. I tried to free my hand, but he held on tight.

"And what if he wants to be loud and draw attention to himself?" I asked, trying to keep hold on my temper. "What then, idiot?"

"If you're worried about that, we can gag and bind him," he replied simply. I scowled, not believing him at all. How could he be so stupid?

"Do you even have any means in which to do that?" I asked skeptically when he still hadn't let me go.

"It's not much, but it'll be enough," he muttered. "Can you control yourself? It'll be easier for me to do this with two hands." I felt my face flush and I looked away, irritated. He was the one who needed to learn control. He finally let go of my wrist, and I jerked it away.

He pulled a scroll out of his back pouch and unrolled it. I immediately recognized it as a summoning scroll. So the items he needed were in there…clever. In a puff of smoke he had rope and cloth. Maybe he was better prepared than I thought.

When things were all tied up, literally, we headed out of the cell. I followed behind Jiraiya, thinking of what were going to do next. Which was easy enough, considering the leader of this charade was just above us, waiting to be caught.

"What next?" Jiraiya asked quietly.

"We 'talk' to the leader, of course."

"I guess that makes sense…"

"Good, now hush, we can't allow ourselves to be caught again." I could see Jiraiya scowl at that, but I didn't care. His softness had really bugged me. And it wasn't as if that bastard wasn't going to die anyway. No one was going back in that cell. With bound arms and a gagged mouth, he wasn't going to get out of there soon.

Before long we reached the top level. I found it strange that we hadn't run into any trouble, but I wasn't about to complain. I glanced around the room, taking it in for the first time right-side-up. One door clearly lead to the outside, bright light was streaming in around the edges. A different door seemed to lead further inside the building.

Deciding that was our best bet, we walked over and stood on either side of the door. Catching Jiraiya's gaze, I mouthed, "We'll wait until they come out." He nodded and I focused my attention on the door instead. Luckily they didn't care about keeping their voices down.

"…can't have it in two days. We don't have enough."

"Damn that prick…what village was he from again?"

"They said it was Konoha. Go figure. I'd love to see their Hokage's expression when he finds out two of his pawns are going to be sold." The others laughed. I grinned to myself. I couldn't wait to see Sensei's face when we brought these fools back.

"Yeah, some shinobi…what kind of _ninja_ gets caught and sold into sex slavery?" They laughed again. This time I gritted my teeth. I suppose I could let the leader live…simply for questioning purposes, but the rest of them? Dead as leaves during winter.

"Speaking of which, shouldn't that idiot be back from visiting them?"

"You make a good point. Let's go check up on him." My body instinctively tensed when I heard them get up and walk towards the door. I glanced in Jiraiya's direction, surprised to meet his gaze. He looked determined, and for some reason, it looked like he wasn't going to stop me from stopping some hearts this time.

The door flew open and I scowled at the horrible choice in positions. I guess it could be worse. The door could've hit me, I suppose. When all of them had left the room, I slammed the door shut behind them, attacking the thugs as Jiraiya grabbed the better dressed of the group. He was definitely the leader, you could just tell.

The followers fell to the ground with two dull thuds, "The kind of ninja that gets caught is also the kind that likes to kill pathetic thugs," I spat at their still forms, feeling a momentary rush from it. Satisfied, I looked up to Jiraiya, who still gripped the leader firmly. "Well, well, it looks like you caught the fattest rat, Jiraiya."

"What do you think is the best way to deal with him?" he asked.

"I wouldn't mind teaching him a lesson as well, but alas, that would go against our mission. I guess I'll just have to be boring and contact the Anbu," I sighed. Jiraiya gave me a strange look, but I ignored it. "Keep an eye on him, I'll be back in a moment," I commanded, leaving the building.

As I suspected, there were lookouts and I took care of them as well. Just how many of these idiots was I going to have to deal with anyway?

Shaking my head in disgust, I bit my thumb, making the necessary hand signs. In a small puff of smoke, my snake companion appeared.

"You're already done?" he murmured, shocked.

"Of course I am. You can go inform Hokage-sama now; we have the leader of this charade captured." Why is that animal summons _always_ have an attitude?

He closed his eyes and disappeared in a similar fashion he arrived in. Letting out a sigh, I licked the remaining blood from my finger and returned to the building.

As I walked in, I saw the leader on the floor, and Jiraiya had an irritated expression. "Looks like you're one step ahead of me for a change," I commented glaring at the unconscious form of the leader. "The Anbu will be here shortly to pick that up."

"How did you get in contact with them so quickly?" he asked, seemingly dumbfounded.

"Simple, Jiraiya. Before we left for this mission, I had one of my snakes waiting back in Konoha. All I had to do was explain the situation to him and then he could relay it to Sensei. Can't you do that with your toads?" I asked teasingly, receiving a scowl in return. I couldn't help but laugh, he was acting like a twelve year old again.

"So anyway, now that we've contacted them, all we have to do is wait for them to arrive, right?" he asked.

"That's pretty much it. Once this bastard is in their custody, our part of the mission is mostly over. We'll just have to fill out a report and then we're done," I explained, my matter-of-fact tone seeming to disappear as I neared the end.

Without secrecy and duty distracting us, would Jiraiya think to bring _that_ topic up again?

"_Then why is it such a problem?"_ His words seemed to echo in my mind. The problem was simple: I was attracted to him, and he was obsessed with women. But…_he_ was the one to come up with the idea, not me, _and_ he had that strange dream during our journey, and the sudden agreement to the single bed room… The list seemed to go on and on.

Could he…?

I really didn't like the way my chest swelled with a sense of eager hope. I banished it to the best of my ability. Even if he was, for some odd reason, attracted to me as well – cold day in hell, that would be – I couldn't allow myself to indulge in such a weakness. I had more important things to do with my time than to scamper around with him.

Still, the thought was tempting.

_Very,_ tempting.

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_Review?_


	11. Chapter 11

_Well, this chapter came decidely faster. Thank god for notebooks! -laughs- Anyway, I'd like to thank the amazing number of reviewers who reviewed the last chapter. I really appreciate you guys!!! Now then...on with the next part of the story. Enjoy!_

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**Teamwork –part 6–**

The time it took for the Anbu to arrive flew by. I guess I was just lost in my thoughts, which probably made Orochimaru nervous. We both had been silent while we waited, and now that the time was beginning to come to a close, I began to wonder what was running through my teammate's head. I glanced over at him, seeing a look of deep concentration in his golden eyes, and I knew he must be thinking about something of importance. I really wish I knew what that something was.

We were sitting on either side of the leader, facing the door. In the blink of an eye, the Anbu arrived, the squad pouring into the room. It seemed like it took a lot longer than fifteen minutes, but that was probably just my imagination.

"Here's the one you want," Orochimaru said, pointing to the unconscious form as he got to his feet. I followed in suit as the Anbu leader nodded. Two members of the squad hoisted him up and out of the building.

"You two are to report to Hokage-sama in two days' time," he said before following his squad out. They closed the door behind them and a heavy silence followed it.

"Two days… That gives us plenty of time to get back," I commented, breaking the silence. It was becoming unbearable, especially since I was pretty sure why it was there.

"I suppose it does," Orochimaru answered quietly. I apparently wasn't the only one to realize the distraction of the mission was gone. He seemed uneasy in my presence as we started back towards the city. I just knew it was the reason why things were so quiet. Sure, he was never much of a talker, but this was ridiculous.

We remained silent on the way back. Big surprise. There was an almost tangible distance between us. Each time I inched ever so slightly closer to him while we walked, he would speed up, or step to the side, almost instinctively. He kept a good two foot space between us at all times.

I was puzzled by his behavior. Maybe he was ashamed of how close we had been in the cell…? Whatever it was, I didn't like it and I wanted an explanation.

It didn't look like I was going to get one any time soon. When we returned to the hotel, he locked himself in the bathroom, taking a very long shower. Part of me wanted to leave and get some fresh air, but at the same time, I didn't want to leave him alone. I wouldn't put it past him to leave without me, especially with how he was acting.

So I waited patiently in the room, starting the report to keep my mind from wandering. It kept me occupied for maybe ten minutes. After that, I wondered whether or not he had brought clothing into the bathroom with him, or if he'd have to traipse through the room, damp-haired and half naked. I enjoyed imagining that, but alas, he was always prepared.

About a half hour later he emerged fully clothed. I sighed. Oh well…maybe next time…?

He was even more covered than before, wearing his jounin uniform, sans the vest. He'd even gone to the trouble of wrapping his calves. He normally only did that _before_ a mission, not when it was complete.

He refused to meet my gaze as he knelt by his bag. Even though he already wore the baggy version of the uniform – it wasn't exactly his style to wear something that would show off his build – he still must have felt I could see something, so he put the vest on too. When he started packing up his things I grew wary. Glancing at a clock, it read 11:30am.

"What's the rush? We have two days to get back to Konoha, and it only took us a day to get here," I said.

"I'd prefer to sleep in my own bed tonight is all," he replied simply, but there were volumes to what he said. He apparently didn't want to spend another night in the same bed as me. He probably thought he would lose control again, y'know, act human in my presence, and curl up to me.

"I was serious when I said I'd sleep on the floor," I muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard what I said."

He frowned and continued to pack up his things. In a few more minutes, he was completely ready to go.

"I don't care if you want to stay a while longer, but I'm leaving," he said, getting to his feet.

"I thought we were a team…and teams don't split up. Only bad comes of that. You should know that much," I replied, also getting to my feet. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"You forget how you managed to find information on your own. It doesn't _always_ backfire," he shot back.

"Still. We've done well on this mission –" he snorted, but I continued, "– and I want to finish it well. Meaning we return as the team we set out as, not two separate individuals." He hesitated lifting his pack after that. Sure, what I said was full of double meanings, but I didn't care. I didn't want him to leave without me. "Besides, we still need to write that report, right? Why not get it done with now instead of later?"

He sighed, letting go of his bag. I guess that meant he was giving in.

Good.

"It won't take long to write the report. We can still be out of here by four at the latest," he said, walking over to where I was standing. He picked up the draft I had started, reading it over quickly. At least he said "we" when he spoke about leaving time.

"Why don't you revise what I've written so far while I get cleaned up?" I suggested, heading for the bathroom. Maybe I couldn't stall him enough for us to spend the night, but at least we'd be together when we left.

"Fine," he murmured, sitting down and picking up the pencil I had been using.

I deliberately left my pack at his feet, not grabbing clothing as he had. Turning on the water, I smirked to myself, trying to imagine what kind of effect my nearly cloth-less form would have on him.

I showered slowly, hoping he would grow impatient so he would look up when I left the bathroom to yell at me. I imagined him begin to complain, but stop short when he saw me. I grinned as I dried off, leaving some dampness to my hair. I took a breath to compose myself before I stepped out.

Just as I suspected, I had taken longer than he liked and his head snapped up when I stepped into the room.

"What took so long?" he asked the ferocity in his voice dropping as he took in my appearance. I fought off a smirk as I sauntered over to my bag, which was still conveniently at his feet.

"You took pretty long yourself. I was just relaxing a little," I answered, kneeling by his suddenly rigid leg. I was getting a better response than I thought.

"I took long because I didn't want to reopen my wounds," he snapped, letting his hair hide his face as he leaned over his work. That took a little wind out of my sails, but it wasn't like him to be so touchy. I _must_ be messing with him if he couldn't reply in his normal "I'm better than thou" manner.

I shrugged, "Understandable." I stood back up and walked a little ways away to get dressed. I watched him out of the corner of my eye as I got dressed. I definitely enjoyed the fact he was a nice shade of red from my display.

"How's the report coming?" I asked, slipping the shirt of my uniform over my head before walking over.

"I'm nearly done," he replied, keeping his eyes on the paper. I looked over his shoulder, finding two pages of neatly handwritten work on the table. Looks like he could stay focused better than I could. Oh well.

He visibly tensed when I reached around him to grab one of the sheets. I just wish I knew if he was tensing to keep control of anger or passion. They weren't very far apart, so it was hard to tell.

I skimmed through the first page, finding everything in proper place. As I reached for the second sheet, he quickly handed it to me before my arm could go under his again. As uncomfortable as he clearly was, he remained silent and motionless. Confusing…unless he was still resisting something and staying in the uncomfortable position was the middle point…?

"Well? Does it meet your standards?" Orochimaru asked dryly when I handed him back the report.

"Mostly, though you sugar-coated your capture. I _know_ you weren't planning on it," I smirked. He flushed scarlet.

"Shut up. And don't tell Sensei otherwise."

"Sure, sure, but you owe me." He sighed.

"What do you want?"

"Oh nothing at the moment, but I'm sure I'll come up with something." Worry flashed across his face before he quickly masked it. Hmm…

"Can we go now?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Uh, yeah. I just need to throw my stuff in my bag," I replied, now eager to leave. As I gathered my things, my mind began thinking of things I could redeem from my blackmail. I felt a minor pang of guilt knowing that whatever I came up with, he would only be doing it _because_ I was blackmailing him.

Eh, the end justifies the means, right?

We left about ten minutes later. After paying for our room, we headed for home. When we were on the road again, Orochimaru actually walked _faster_ than he had on the way there. His manner worried me. Why was he in such a hurry to get back? It wasn't like he had some hussy to get to…I coughed, holding back a laugh. That _definitely_ wasn't the case…was it?

I suddenly doubted myself. Maybe he _was_ seeing someone and had been keeping it a secret from Tsunade and me? I suppose anything is possible…

"Hey Orochi, you wouldn't happen to have a girlfriend, would you?" I asked. He seemed annoyed by the nickname and then surprised by the question.

"Where'd that come from?" he asked, glancing in my direction, shock and confusion painted on his face.

"Well, you're in such a hurry. I thought you may have some little missy waiting back at home."

He looked at me crossly, "Don't be stupid. You know I don't _waste_ my time with such things. Besides, I already told you my reasoning behind wanting to return."

"You want to sleep in your own bed, I know, I know," I muttered.

"If you knew, then why did you bother asking that?"

"I don't know I'm bored." He was being strangely cold. It was his nature to be aloof, but after what we'd been through the last few days, I thought he'd be a little less haughty in my presence – and he had been, until we started back.

He didn't reply and soon a silence settled between us and only our quick footsteps were heard.

I horribly wanted to know what was under his skin, but I decided to wait until he had calmed down. Whether that was later on when we set up camp or when we returned, it didn't matter.

The sun sank sluggishly behind the horizon and soon we walked in darkness along with silence. As the moon climbed into the sky, Orochimaru's steps began to slow.

"I know you wanted to reach Konoha before you rested, but maybe we should stop?" I asked softly. He certainly seemed tired as he nodded. Not far from the road, he dropped his pack, gently massaging his shoulder. I smiled slightly to myself – perhaps now he would be calm enough to question…?

Within about twenty minutes, we were lying down, settling into sleep. I reminisced of the night we started this mission…seeing him in the moonlight, completely relaxed…

Wait a second; he was sore from the walk, wasn't he? So maybe…

"Hey Orochimaru?"

"Yes?"

"Is your back still sore from traveling?"

"Why would you care?"

"Because mine is, and if we're both sore we can take turns giving each other a massage," I explained, fighting off a smirk. He was quiet for a moment, thinking it over, I presumed.

"I'll pass thanks."

"Aww, c'mon! Why not?" I asked. If I had to, I just might pull the blackmail now.

"I'm not that sore."

"Liar. You were rubbing your shoulders earlier and were wincing from it," I protested. That sounded stalker-ish. Oh well. He looked at me strangely before letting out a sigh.

"If I give you one, will you shut up?" he muttered his tone less harsh.

"Only if I can give you one in return," I replied, sitting up. "I don't want you doing all of the work, after all." He sighed again, sitting up too.

"Very well, but if I hear one more thing out of your mouth tonight…" he warned when I crawled over to him.

"Don't worry, I'll be as quiet as a mouse," I promised.

"Mice aren't exactly quiet around snakes," he remarked dryly. I laughed.

"Good point, but I'll break the cliché."

"If you say so… Who's going first?" he asked, tensing ever so slightly when I closed the space between us.

"You can," I grinned, before turning away from him. As excited as I was to see the results of what I could do to him, I was just as enthralled to have his nimble hands working on me.

He sighed, "Should've seen that one coming…" he muttered, placing his hands on my shoulders. I shivered slightly when he started, but I stayed silent. I never knew he had such strong hands…

In no time, I was completely relaxed and he removed his hands. Even as loosened up as I was, I felt my heartbeat quicken. Other than wrapping or treating wounds, I'd never really touched him for more than a split second – he'd either throw or shrug me off shortly after.

Well, not including the night in the hotel, but I wasn't conscious for that, so it doesn't really count.

He was hesitant about turning away from me. I could tell not just by his jerky movements, but also his eyes seemed strained, like an animal cornered.

Just who were the snake and the mouse now?

I gripped his shoulders gently at first, hoping that would calm him, but it did the opposite.

"If you're going to sit so stiffly, there won't be any point to this," I said, gently massaging him, hoping he'd relax. He finally did, but it took some time. I really wanted to know why he seemed so tentative to let go in my presence…maybe I'd ask him tomorrow on the way back.

Before long, he was like putty in my hands. I couldn't help but smirk to myself – it seemed like I was beginning to get him in the same state he was only in if he was unconscious. If just a massage was all it took to calm him, I'd gladly become a masseuse for him.

Eventually I stopped, liking the way he'd relaxed against me. "Not so bad after all, huh?" I teased quietly.

"I suppose not," he murmured, his voice sounding decidedly sleepy. For some reason, that sent a chill down my spine. A pleasant chill, mind you.

"Maybe we should do this more often…" I trailed off. I was probably pushing my luck, but I didn't care.

"Perhaps," he mused.

He was _considering_ it?

Yes!

I smiled, "Cool… I don't know about you, but I'm pretty tired now."

"You're not the only one," he yawned. "Do you mind moving so that I may lie down?"

I was tempted to say no and curl up with him, but I knew where to draw the line.

Nodding, I gingerly slunk off his bedroll to mine. While he wasn't looking, I shifted mine closer to his, but there was still an obvious gap.

Content with my accomplishments for the night, I closed my eyes, falling asleep with a grin.

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_Review?_


	12. Chapter 12

_Hooray for updates! And can I just say yesterday (Nov. 11) was fun? If anyone gets why, then kudos to you! Anyway, I loved the reviews I got...and thus a quicker update than normal! (Actually, I just had an easy time writing this...but yeah. XD) Enjoy!_

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**Teamwork –part 6–**

As we waited for the Anbu to arrive, I focused my thoughts on mission related things, not wanting to fall back into that foolish daydream state I was in mere moments ago. I silently went over the events that had transpired, trying to find certain flaws that in later missions could be fixed. I grimaced, recalling my capture. That definitely wouldn't occur ever again…I had just been careless.

Mid-thought, the Anbu arrived, causing me to look up. I glanced at the new angle the sun was at as they filtered inside. They were late by at least five minutes.

"Here's the one you want," I informed, getting to my feet, brushing off the small amount of dust that had clung to my clothing. Jiraiya quickly got to his feet as well as the Anbu leader nodded, choosing to remain silent behind his mask. Two members of his squad approached the unconscious leader, picked him up and carried him out of the room.

"You two are to report to Hokage-sama in two days' time," he stated before following his squad outside. The last one out closed the door, filling the room with an uncomfortable silence.

"Two days… That gives us plenty of time to get back," Jiraiya commented, his voice, though subdued, seemed to fill the room.

"I suppose it does," I said quietly, sensing that a reply was needed. Just hearing his voice again sparked those stupid thoughts once more. I shoved them aside as best I could, but even so, they continued to whisper from the back of my mind, questioning why I was pushing away from something I clearly craved.

I shook my head, pushing the thoughts further away. I didn't even notice that while we walked back to the city, I kept a certain barrier between us. Apparently my logical side was winning in this ridiculous war.

Good.

Eventually we returned to the hotel. Glad to be in a room that wasn't composed of cold concrete; I took advantage of the now luxurious bathroom, locking myself inside. I wasn't taking chances of letting anything happen, so I brought my clothing in with me. Feeling more secure, I stepped into the shower and turned it on. I had to be careful of my wounds, I hardly needed those reopening. I ignored the memories of when said wounds had been bandaged and let the hot water wash it all away.

I wasn't sure how long I had been in there, but I didn't really care. I'd just tune out any complaining. I dried off, re-bandaging the now smaller wounds. I pulled on my uniform and feeling the need of routine, I also wrapped my calves, finding that it made me feel less exposed. Silly, but I didn't really care. Whatever gave me peace of mind, I was willing to do.

I stepped out of the bathroom, ignoring the instantaneous grey-eyed gaze that hit me. I walked calmly over to my pack, picking out the vest that accompanied the rest of the uniform I was wearing. With that on, I began putting the rest of my things inside, wanting to vacate that room as soon as possible. It brought back memories I didn't want to recall. They were too distracting.

"What's the rush? We have two days to get back to Konoha, and it only took us a day to get here," Jiraiya said, a strange sense of dejection in his voice.

"I'd prefer to sleep in my own bed tonight is all," I answered coolly, continuing as if he hadn't said anything. I didn't want to risk another 'event' happening. It was bad enough that I'd allowed it to happen more than once.

"I was serious when I said I'd sleep on the floor," he muttered.

"Excuse me?" I asked, glancing at him momentarily.

"You heard what I said."

I frowned, understanding too well why he might be acting like this, but I still denied something like that to be true. Thinking a perv of his magnitude was longing for me was absurd. Though it was kind of fun to ponder.

Stop.

I mentally kicked myself for allowing another lapse like that. If I allowed that to continue…I shuddered at the consequences my mind came up with.

When I was finished, I stood, the straps of the bag held loosely in my hand. "I don't care if you want to stay a while longer, but I'm leaving," I stated. I waited for the surprised outburst to come, but it never did. Slightly puzzled, I glanced in his direction as he spoke.

"I thought we were a team…and teams don't split up. Only bad comes of that. You should know that much," he replied, getting to his feet. I narrowed my eyes slightly. He was acting out of character again. Not a good sign.

"You forget how you managed to find information on your own. It doesn't _always_ backfire," I shot back, annoyed.

"Still. We've done well on this mission –" I snorted, but he continued, "– and I want to finish it well. Meaning we return as the team we set out as, not two separate individuals." That last part made me stall. As to why, I wasn't sure, but something in his tone made me hesitate. "Besides, we still need to write that report, right? Why not get it done with now instead of later?"

I really did hate when he had a moment of cleverness.

Letting out a sigh, I dropped the straps of the bag.

"It won't take long to write the report. We can still be out of here by four at the latest," I said, walking to where he was standing. Avoiding his eyes, I picked up the sheet of paper in front of him, finding it to be a start to a report. It seemed he could do something productive.

"Why don't you revise what I've written so far while I get cleaned up?" he suggested, stepping off towards the bathroom.

"Fine," I murmured in response, sitting down and picking up the nearby pencil. This wouldn't take long; I knew I could have it finished by the time he was done. Given his habits, it shouldn't take him more than ten minutes. I smiled; glad to have this 'challenge' to distract me for the time being.

I finished about ten minutes later, expecting him to appear not long after.

He didn't.

The minutes began to add up, adding to my annoyance. I just _knew_ he was doing this on purpose. I grit my teeth, as fifteen minutes had gone by. When it hit twenty, he finally emerged.

"What took so long?" I demanded, but try as I might; I couldn't make it sound as angry as I had previously been. His tan, toned form was to blame for that. Damn these troublesome hormones…

He shrugged as he approached me and for a split second my heart raced, thinking he was going to pull something, but logic soon took over, reminding me that his bag was mere inches from my feet. I scowled slightly; irritated by how easily I was being manipulated simply from a little exposed skin. And damp hair…and a clean scent…

He knelt down, and replied, "You took pretty long yourself. I was just relaxing a little." I stiffened, hoping his hand wouldn't brush against me.

"I took long because I didn't want to reopen my wounds," I snapped. He glanced up, but I hid my face by leaning over my work, glad to have the black veil of my hair.

He shrugged again, getting to his feet, "Understandable." I absolutely hated how calm he was acting. If it wouldn't have seemed odd, I would've probably punched him. I glued my eyes to the page as he started to get dressed, not wanting to make my already warm face hotter.

"How's the report coming?" he asked, slipping his shirt over his head as he walked back over. I allowed myself to watch him when he couldn't see me, a strangely pleasant feeling filling me as I gazed at him. I pushed that aside and answered,

"I'm nearly done." I immediately returned my eyes to the paper once the shirt was over his head. No need to give him any more reason to tease me. I couldn't help but tense when he reached _under_ my arm to get at the first sheet. He noticed, naturally, and gave me a bemused expression before reading it over. Before he could do it again, I handed him the second sheet.

As irritating as it was to have him hovering over me, I refused to move. He was only a few inches away, and I could just barely feel his breath. Content with this middle point, I waited for him to finish reading.

"Well? Does it meet your standards?" I asked dryly when he handed it back.

"Mostly, though you sugar-coated your capture. I _know_ you weren't planning on it," he smirked. I felt my face flush scarlet. I had forgotten about writing it that way…damn it.

"Shut up. And don't tell Sensei otherwise."

"Sure, sure, but you owe me." I sighed. Of course there'd be a catch.

"What do you want?"

"Oh nothing at the moment, but I'm sure I'll come up with something." Whatever that 'something' was worried me. I hid it as fast as I could, but I had a feeling he saw it anyway.

"Can we go now?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah. I just need to throw my stuff in my bag," he replied. As he packed up his things, I began to feel the weight of the blackmail over me. I just _knew_ whatever he came up with would not be good. It wouldn't be blackmail otherwise.

Within about ten minutes we left, after paying for our room. When we were on the road, I relaxed slightly; glad I was leaving this horrid experience behind. That's at least what I made myself think. That stupid feeling had its own point of view, of course, and it knew that once we returned, something like this would probably never happen again. Though that made me somewhat sad, I didn't care, I could always block it out with something else.

"Hey Orochi, you wouldn't happen to have a girlfriend, would you?" Jiraiya asked. The nickname annoyed me. I'd told him many times to not shorten my name, but before I could yell at him for it, he had continued with that puzzling question.

"Where'd that come from?" I asked, confused. Was he trying to find out his odds…? Ha, yeah right.

"Well, you're in such a hurry. I thought you may have some little missy waiting back at home."

Honestly.

"Don't be stupid. You know I don't _waste_ my time with such things. Besides, I already told you my reasoning behind wanting to return," I said coldly. How hard was it to understand?

"You want to sleep in your own bed, I know, I know," he muttered.

"If you knew, then why did you bother asking that?" Moron.

"I don't know I'm bored." Likely excuse. It was right about then that I realized just how coldly I was acting. He wouldn't back off like that otherwise. I felt a minor pang of guilt, and stayed silent.

This was really starting to get to me…I could hardly control my own actions anymore. Something had to give, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know what side was going to eventually win.

The day went slowly by, the sun finally setting in the distance. The heat wave we'd had was long gone, replaced by the beginnings of fall. As darkness surrounded us, it grew cooler and I fought off a slight shiver. It wasn't that cold…maybe fifty degrees at worst. Before long, the moon rose and I started to slow, the day's journey beginning to show.

"I know you wanted to reach Konoha before you rested, but maybe we should stop?" Jiraiya asked softly. I nodded, not wanting to argue when it was obvious I was tired. I dropped my pack when we were far enough from the road, gingerly rubbing my stiff shoulders. Apparently I had been walking rigidly all day without noticing it.

I quickly unpacked what I needed and was soon nestled into my own 'bed'. Sure, it wasn't as comfortable as the one I had back home, but it would have to do for now.

"Hey Orochimaru?"

"Yes?" Of course he'd have to interrupt me getting rest again.

"Is your back still sore from traveling?"

"Why would you care?"

"Because mine is, and if we're both sore, we can take turns giving each other a massage," he explained. The stupid feeling immediately told me to say yes to his request, but I held it off. I imagined what would happen if I allowed his hands on me…probably something similar to when he bandaged my wounds. I'd get all flustered and stupid. No way.

"I'll pass thanks."

"Aww, c'mon! Why not?"

"I'm not that sore," I replied smoothly.

"Liar. You were rubbing your shoulders and were wincing from it," he protested. I glanced at him surprised. He was watching me now?

"If I give you one, will you shut up?" I muttered.

"Only if I can give you one in return," he replied, sitting up. "I don't want you doing all of the work, after all." I sighed, realizing he wasn't going to give this up.

"Very well, but if I hear one more thing out of your mouth tonight…" I warned, sitting up as he crawled over to me.

"Don't worry, I'll be quiet as a mouse," he promised.

"Mice aren't exactly quiet around snakes," I remarked dryly, getting a laugh out of him.

"Good point, but I'll break the cliché."

"If you say so… Who's going first?" I asked, tensing slightly when he brushed against me.

"You can," he grinned, turning away from me. I sighed.

"Should've seen that one coming…" I muttered, placing my hands on his shoulders. The fact that I was allowing this showed that his manner was breaking down my barriers again. He shivered under my hands when I started, causing me to flush slightly. Apparently he was enjoying this.

I had him relaxed within a matter of minutes. I knew he really wasn't that sore. He'd just made it up to get me in this situation. And I'd taken the bait. Oh well.

I turned away from him slowly, not knowing what would happen now that it was my turn. He waited patiently, not commenting on my jerky movements, but I was sure he was thinking about them.

I nearly jumped when he laid his hands on my shoulders, my body going rigid.

"If you're going to sit so stiffly, there won't be any point to this," he said, gently massaging my shoulders. It didn't take much to make my body relax under his grip; I just had to let that stupid, but pleasant, feeling take over. After that…well, I could actually enjoy what he was doing. My entire body tingled when he was done.

"Not so bad after all, huh?" he teased, his voice soft.

"I suppose not," I replied sleepily, most of my weight being supported by his hands. I was actually kind of sad it was done.

"Maybe we should do this more often…" he suggested. My less logical side nearly screamed in agreement, but I was too tired to express such emotion.

"Perhaps," I mused, imagining how much better it could be sitting on a real bed…

"Cool… I don't know about you, but I'm pretty tired now." I was nearly asleep as it was, and his voice, quiet and comforting, wasn't helping matters. I bet if he rested me against his chest I'd fall right under…

"You're not the only one," I yawned. "Do you mind moving so that I may lie down?" I secretly hoped he'd say no, forcing me to sleep in his embrace again, but alas, I can't have everything go my way.

He simply nodded and let go of me. If I hadn't been expecting it, I would've fallen straight back.

He lied down and fell almost instantly asleep. I forced myself to stay awake a while longer, gazing at his resting form, hungrily taking in his features. It was surprising – despite his perverted mind – that he didn't have more girls after him. He wasn't bad looking, and the contrast of white hair on tan skin was…well, easy on the eyes.

I nudged my bed roll slightly closer to his and watched him until my eyes finally slipped shut.

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_Review?_


	13. Chapter 13

_Dang, this is a long one. Though I'm quite sure everyone will appreciate it. -winks- Anyways...I'd just like to mention how amazing Akito17 is. You're awesome!!! For all my other reviewers, I heart you guys too. But enough drabble, onto the next chappy! _

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**Teamwork –part 7–**

The next morning I woke to the sun in my eyes. I let out a groan, forcing myself to sit up. Judging the angle of the sun, I guessed it to be around mid-morning, probably close to 10am.

I looked over to where Orochimaru's bedroll was; finding it slightly closer than it had been when I fell asleep.

Maybe I wasn't the only one wanting to close that gap, but not knowing how.

He was still fast asleep, his back to the sun. I had woken facing it so if our mats had been together, it would've been the night in the hotel all over again.

I smiled at that thought as I reached over to wake him. I knew he'd want to get up as soon as possible. I gently rubbed his shoulder, "Hey sleepy-head, its morning," I said softly. I expected him to jump, but he scowled in his sleep and mumbled something, still not awake.

I was amused greatly by this uncharacteristic behavior. Guess he was human after all.

I shook his shoulder a little more firmly, "I thought you were in a hurry to get back," I said, slightly mocking.

"Shut up," he mumbled, pushing himself into a sitting position facing me. He let out a yawn, stretching as he opened his eyes.

"We don't have much farther to travel, maybe ten miles…so we should be back by the afternoon."

He nodded in agreement, beginning to pack up his things. After a relatively quick breakfast, we were walking again.

Yesterday he had seemed anxious and uneasy in my presence, now he just seemed shy, like we hadn't known each other for as many years as we had. I figured that was a good sign, that maybe after the shyness was conquered, we'd be able to figure out just what had changed between us on the mission. My answer to that was simple enough; being alone with and nearly losing him had awakened an unconscious attraction to him. Of course, sleeping with him twice had helped to intensify that, but whatever.

I longed to know what had changed for him. I was certain something had, given the difference in the way he acted around me, but what was it? Was it the same thing I had come to realize?

I glanced at him, stupidly hoping my question would be answered simply by gazing at him. It wasn't, but there was a definite concentration to his features – he was deep in thought.

Once this mission was officially over, I'd find some way to get the answer out of him. I'd pin him to a wall if I had to.

Within no time, the large gates that marked the entrance to Konoha loomed before us. I saw a glimmer of relief in Orochimaru's eyes. Relief for being home, being done…it could be just about anything.

I glanced to where the sun was, guessing it to be around two o'clock.

"Hey Orochimaru…"

"Hmm?"

"Let's meet with Sensei at five to turn in our report."

"Sounds fine by me," he replied. It would give us both ample time to prepare. What came after the meeting was what had me nervous. I needed to get the answer to my question, and I wasn't sure how I'd get it out of my stoic teammate.

We went our separate ways soon after. My apartment seemed emptier than before, perhaps because I had grown used to having Orochimaru with me. I had to laugh to myself for that. We had only been gone a few days, and I was making it sound like we had been alone for a few years.

I dropped my bag by the bathroom door and turned on the water for a bath. I sunk into the hot water, relaxing and began to think of a way to question my teammate.

After the meeting, I could invite him back to my place for a meal and if he declined, I could always pull my blackmail. It seemed a reasonable enough time to use it. Once we ate, I'd question him.

Happy with the way my plan seemed to work, I got out and dried off. After getting dressed – I made the effort of wearing my newest uniform – I grabbed a small snack and got things ready for the upcoming meal. That snake had always had a sweet tooth, so I made sure to prepare a good dessert. At around quarter to five, I left, feeling confident about the upcoming evening.

When I reached our meeting point, Orochimaru was already waiting, dressed in a surprisingly closer fitting version of our uniform. Like I said, he was always on time, provided he hadn't been kidnapped. He looked up as I approached and smiled ever so slightly. I grinned back and we headed up the stairs to the Hokage's office.

I knocked on the closed door, "Come in." I opened the door and we walked inside, our teacher sitting behind the desk, taking a puff from his pipe. A large stack of papers were to his right. "Ah, it's you two. I'm glad to see you both back in one piece. How'd things go?" Sarutobi asked.

"Relatively well, as you might expect from the prize the Anbu returned with," Orochimaru answered.

"Indeed, they're interrogating him as we speak. May I see your report?" he asked. Orochimaru handed it to him and returned to his spot next to me. Sensei quickly read through it. "Interesting strategy, allowing them to capture you," he mused. I bit my tongue to keep from laughing and Orochimaru gave me a sharp warning look. I glanced off to the side, trying to show that I'd keep my promise. As much as I'd love to say something, the way I acted now would be consequential to how things would work out later, so I remained quiet.

"Since it would seem that you accomplished your mission, how did the other portion of it go?" he asked, referring to the "bonding" experience. Oh the irony.

"It went well. We had some time to ourselves and I think we're closer because of it," I replied. Orochimaru nodded to confirm it and he didn't seem sarcastic about it in the slightest. Sensei's face brightened.

"Good! I'm glad to see you two have gotten past your differences. And that you make quite the team because of it. All right, you're dismissed until further notice. Good job."

We both smiled and gave minor bows before leaving.

On the way out I followed Orochimaru, waiting until we got to the exit to drop my invitation.

"Man I'm starving…what about you?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

He nodded, "I haven't eaten anything since this morning, so I'm rather hungry," he replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Well before I came, I think I went a little overboard making my dinner for when I got back. Maybe you could help me get rid of it?" He laughed.

"I thought you said you were starving."

"I am, but, well, you have to see it to understand. C'mon," I urged, grabbing his arm to pull him along. I was shocked when he just let out a sigh and let me lead him. I secretly hoped he was done playing hard-to-get.

We reached my apartment in record time. I continued to lead him, but I had dropped his arm a while ago, knowing he'd keep going. He didn't have a clue as to where I lived, even though I'd bothered him numerous times at his own apartment.

"This is a pretty nice place you have," he commented as I went to the kitchen.

"Yeah, but the rent is pretty insane," I replied reheating the massive amount of food. I heard a low gasp, one that made me shiver slightly. "Something wrong?" I asked walking out of the kitchen.

"No…it's just that this view is breathtaking," he replied, his back to me as he gazed out the window.

Looks like he found my bedroom.

I liked the way he looked in there, outlined by the fiery red of the setting sun that came through the window at an angle. He looked even more god-like than normal, his white skin tinted orange, and his golden eyes ablaze.

I walked up beside him, resting on the window ledge. "Yeah, it was one of the main reasons why I had to live here," I said glancing at him out of the corner of my eye. He nodded and I could see my full-sized bed behind him. I flushed thinking of what could happen after we ate and I was glad the sun was as intense as it was; it hid the blush.

"If you think that's amazing, you should stick around for the moonrise," I suggested, heading back to the kitchen.

"Why's that?" he asked, following me.

"If the curtains are open, my entire room is flooded with moonlight," I replied, beginning to dish up the food.

"I guess I'll have to stay then," he remarked. That sent a hot chill through me. Things were going perfectly. Maybe I'd be able to convince him to stay the night… He finally noticed all the food I had prepared. "You really weren't lying. Maybe we should call Tsunade over as well," he commented.

"Nah, you know her, she eats like a bird around us," I remarked, drawing a laugh out of him.

"Yes, I suppose she does. You never know."

I shrugged, "By the time she got here, we'll have it all eaten anyway."

"Good point," he laughed.

"Right… Ittadakimasu!" As I had predicted, we both ate quickly, easily demolishing all of the food. The best part of it all was we really were acting like friends, even more so than the best parts of our mission. I had finally managed to get him to open up to me and I'm not sure I can put that feeling into words.

"I think if I eat anymore, I'll explode," he commented, letting out a content sigh. I had to admit, I'd never seen him eat so much in the past.

"That's a good thing. You need to get some meat on those skinny bones of yours."

"Ha ha, very funny."

"I know." The sun had set, leaving a dim glow in my apartment outside of the kitchen. It created a sleepy, content environment.

"How long do you think it will be until moonrise?" Orochimaru asked.

"I'd say somewhere around 9:30, 10pm."

"We still have quite some time then." I looked over at the clock, finding it to be quarter after seven. I had nearly forgotten the real reason behind bringing him. His friendliness was messing with me big time… That and the fact that if he stayed after my questions, he'd be in my room, at night, very close to my large bed… That alone was enough to scatter any coherent thought.

"Since we have some time, there's been something that's been bothering me…" I started and I could see him tense slightly, "Just what were you going to say in that cell if those thugs hadn't shown up?"

He went rigid, his eyes still gazing into mine. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yes, I believe you do. You were going to tell me why you didn't like the idea of even a clone 'screaming' my name, as I recall you saying," I continued calmly. "Also why you were uncomfortable with having the experience of such a thing."

"You're becoming clever as you mature…" he said softly. "You set this all up, didn't you? This was all bait so you could get me alone to ask such inconsequential things… Very clever indeed."

"You're avoiding the question, Orochimaru."

"I don't feel obligated to answer it. Them, rather."

"So you'd prefer for me to tell Sensei the truth about how the mission really went?" I countered, glad to still have that ace up my sleeve. His eyes narrowed.

"He wouldn't believe you. Who was the gifted student of the squad and who was the one to be tied to a log?" he answered coolly. I got to my feet.

"Yes, but who wrote the report? And who was the honest student and who was the brooding one?" I shot back, heading for the door. He met me there, as I hoped he would.

"You aren't leaving," he said defiantly, his back to the door, his golden eyes piercing in the dim light.

"I'm not? You're forgetting who's physically stronger," I taunted. Grasping both of his wrists, I pinned them above his head with my right hand. His eyes widened in surprise and try as he might, he couldn't move.

"Let go of me," he growled, anger flashing in his eyes.

"No. Now, you can either make this easy or fun for me. You can answer my question, or I can find out through trial and error," I smirked.

"Try me, I'm not telling you a thing," he hissed.

Yeah, like that didn't tell volumes on its own anyway.

"Very well, as you wish," I murmured leaning in close to his face. His eyes widened again in realization and he flattened against the door. He tried to trip me, but my balance was fine, so it did no good. His last resort was whipping his head to the side.

Like that was going to help.

Be doing so, he left an ample amount of his bone white neck exposed. I smirked, the throat was a _very_ sensitive area to be kissed, especially if you've never had it done before.

He shivered when my breath lapped against his neck. Check one on the side that he's attracted to me. I closed the space, exploring his toned throat with my lips. I reached his jugular, finding his pulse racing. Check two. I slowly dragged my tongue up it and he shuddered again, now his breath was coming shorter.

All I'd done was kissed his neck a little and he was already nearly panting?

I'm going to count that as check three and four. At this rate, I'd be to ten in no time.

"Is something wrong, Orochimaru? Your breathing is rather irregular…" I said softly, finding his face thoroughly flushed. Check five. He didn't reply and instead kept his eyes trained on the wall, refusing to meet my gaze.

Fine by me, he'd give in soon enough.

Using my free hand, I forced him to look in my direction. He kept his eyes away from me, but he definitely looked strained.

"You could just stop resisting this and start enjoying it," I suggested, tilting my head to the side, my lips nearly brushing his. His mouth was open marginally from his accelerated breathing. Perfect. I connected our lips, gently kissing him at first, hoping it would cause him to give in. He remained resilient, but when I pressed my body against his, he gasped in surprise. Check six. I used that to my advantage and slipped my tongue into his mouth. That caught him off guard as well, and I gently urged him to kiss me back.

He didn't, but his body went limp.

Check seven.

I continued kissing him until I needed to breathe. I pulled back slowly, taking a deep breath. Now he really _was_ panting, and his eyes were closed, his head slightly bowed. Check eight. You don't close your eyes when someone kisses you unless you really like it.

"Why…?" he whispered.

"Why what…?" I asked back, softly. Check nine?

"Why me…? I'm cold, and treat you horribly…and above all else, I'm male."

I chuckled lowly, "You're a challenge. You fight me every step of the way, and I enjoy that. Though, it would be nice if you would let me catch you every once and a while…" I hinted, leaning in again. This time when I kissed him, he hesitantly kissed back, not entirely sure what to do.

Check ten.

Wow, talk about horrible communication… If we've both been feeling like this since that mission started…then we've been wasting a lot of time by being cowards. Oh well. I'll find a way to make up that lost time.

I dropped his arms, linking mine just below his waist. He slowly slipped his arms under mine and actually pulled me _closer_. I smiled into our not-so-one-sided kiss, glad he was finally letting himself go.

When we pulled apart, for breath's sake only, he smirked.

"I take it you won't be telling Sensei anything now…?" he asked smugly. Wait…had he been using me? I narrowed my eyes slightly.

"You were acting this entire time…?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound desperate.

"Not exactly. I did over-exaggerate my breathing a few times, but that's not to say I didn't enjoy it."

I pushed away from him. "I don't believe you…"

"Nor do I. To think you'd pin me against a _wall_ to get your way. Pathetic." I tensed and nearly turned to punch him. All this time I had thought I was controlling the situation when really he just acted to make me think that.

Instead of hitting him, I turned and walked back to my room. I was about to slam the door shut when he slipped inside.

"Did you come to tease me some more?" I muttered. He sighed.

"Jiraiya, you take things _way_ too literally around me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"There you go again… What I mean is when I said that thing about you not having to run to Sensei…it was because you got what you wanted, so you no longer needed to go." I looked at him confused. "You got your answer, one way or another, didn't you? I'm assuming the real question you wanted to ask was whether or not I liked you…?"

"And if it was?" He sighed again.

"Would you prefer if I just answered your first questions, now that the truth is pretty much out of the bag?" I nodded. "Very well, the reason why I didn't want my clone and your clone doing things was because I was afraid it would give away the fact that I _wanted_ the act to be _real_. I was uncomfortable because I was certain you, my skirt-chasing teammate, could never feel for me what I was feeling for you." He had kept my gaze up until that point, when he finally looked away, looking slightly ashamed.

"Besides," he said, looking back at me again, a wry smile on his face, "did you honestly think I could act something like that out that well without ever experiencing it? I know I'm clever Jiraiya, but that's really pushing even _my_ skills." I couldn't help but laugh a little at that.

"So all this time…?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

We grew silent after that, the room growing steadily darker until moonrise finally came. The silvery blue light made a halo around his lean form. Moonlight had a _very_ flattering effect on him…

He gazed back at me, his expression changing slightly before he approached, his steps hesitant.

"Something wrong…?" I asked when he was standing to the side of me.

"Not really, just that the moonlight does some amazing things to your appearance…" he trailed off, his gaze landing on my bed.

"You know, there's plenty of room for two in there if you'd like to stay the night," I suggested.

He smiled, closing his eyes. "I think I'll pass. I've already been a glutton tonight." My face fell slightly.

"Are you sure…?"

"Quite, but I won't object to a goodnight kiss," he commented, reopening his eyes. I smiled, gently wrapping my arms around his waist again, hugging him close.

"A goodnight kiss it is," I murmured, connecting our mouths again, enjoying the way my body flooded with warmth when he ran his tongue across my lower lip. I gladly allowed him in, and already he was a better kisser than before. We were both panting when our mouths parted. He didn't seem as ready to part the rest of himself, however. As much as I would have like to have him over, I understood why he was drawing the line.

I gently pulled away and the look in his eyes was thankful, glad that I had the strength to do it.

"No need to rush through the good stuff. There's plenty of time for that," I smirked and he grinned back.

"Exactly."

"I'll see you tomorrow snake-boy."

"Likewise, toad-face."

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_Review?_


	14. Chapter 14

_Wow...I'm extremely slow. I apologize...but I've been beyond busy lately. Hopefully I should be able to update again during my short vacation from school. -crosses fingers- Anyway! I was pleased with the reaction I got for the previous chapter...I got a record total of 15 (yes, **15**) reviews. YOU GUYS ROCK. Though it was a long wait, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!_

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**Teamwork –part 7 –**

I slept through the night, content and dreamless. I probably would've continued to sleep if it hadn't been for a hand gently nudging me awake. In my sleepy haze I vaguely recall someone saying something, but I didn't care. I was still sleepy, so I resisted it.

"I thought you were in a hurry to get back." Oh right, I forgot about that. I sat up, reluctance heavy in my movements.

"Shut up," I muttered, letting out a yawn as I stretched.

"We don't have much farther to travel, maybe ten miles…so we should be back by the afternoon." I nodded, turning slightly to begin repacking my things. After eating a small amount of food, we were off.

We walked in silence, but it wasn't an uncomfortable one, for a change. As the sun climbed in the sky, I realized that if I kept ignoring my illogical side that things would only get worse. Taking a somewhat deep breath, sounds stupid perhaps, to calm my already jittery nerves, I began to think about the non-ninja related parts of the mission.

As much as I hated to admit it, I must be harboring feelings for my idiotic teammate. That much I had already come to terms with, but the real question was why? Why was I, of all people, obsessed with him, of all people? The only answer I could come up with that was reasonable was that he actually cared about my well being. Others may have acted as though they did, but you can't fake the emotion I saw in his dusky grey eyes.

I looked down, feeling guilty once again for the way I had treated him. I had been cold, even after all the help he had given me. I'd find someway to make it up to him…

I looked over at him once or twice during our journey, finding his expression thoughtful. I quickly looked away. What was he thinking about? My logical side claimed it to be something stupid, like usual. My illogical side demanded that he must be thinking about me.

Given the way he had acted at the hotel made me lean more towards my illogical side. Why else had he left his bag at my feet, knowing that he didn't bring clothing with him? I may be uninformed when it comes to this sort of thing, but even that much was obvious. He had been deliberately teasing me.

Wait.

Did that mean he had figured it out?

My heart rate went up once more, and I felt a little shaky. If he had figured it out and that was the way he was treating me because of it…

I was screwed.

Eventually we reached Konoha, and I couldn't hide my relief. Finally I could get away from him, and stop acting like an idiot.

"Hey Orochimaru…" I had just been about to bolt. Damn.

"Hmm?"

"Let's meet with Sensei at five to turn in our report."

"Sounds fine by me," I replied. It couldn't be much later than two in the afternoon…that would give me enough time to regain control over myself. I wasn't about to let him tease me anymore.

I was grateful when we could finally go our own ways. I let out a sigh of relief and returned to my apartment as quickly as I could. I locked the door and dropped my bag close to it. I'd probably burn it later anyway, what would be the point in carrying it all the way to my room?

I hesitated, glancing back at it. Annoyed, I opened it, taking the contents out until I found my blood soaked robe. I slowly brought it up to my face and just as I suspected, amidst the scent of my blood, I could easily pick up his scent.

So maybe I wouldn't burn _everything_, but most of it would still get roasted.

Letting out a sigh at my ever growing weakness, I trudged to my room, shoving the dirty thing to the back bottom corner of my closet. After that was done, I headed towards the bathroom. I disregarded time, standing under the heated water, letting my thoughts wander.

When they began to roam towards the second dream I had had in the cell, I turned the water off. I shook my head, trying to rid the images from my head. Try as I might, they lingered, every once and a while becoming more vivid, and sending a pleasant, if annoying, heat through my body.

I put the full uniform on once again and waited. The time seemed to drag on as I sat around, trying to find something to occupy myself with. Whenever I tried to start something, I found I couldn't concentrate, my thoughts continuing to wander, despite my attempts to keep them focused.

Eventually I decided the best way to waste my time was to wander the streets of Konoha. I unconsciously went to the old training grounds. I stood in the shadow of the trees, gazing at the area, memories causing phantoms to appear where our old team once stood. I shook my head, and headed towards the meeting place.

I was a good twenty minutes early, but I had nothing else to do, so I waited. Luckily, Jiraiya had decided to come a little early as well, so I only had to wait about ten minutes. I looked up when he approached, smiling a little. I was surprised that I felt more at ease as he grew nearer, his grin brightening my mood. We then climbed the stairs to the Hokage's office.

Jiraiya knocked on the door, "Come in." He opened the door and we stepped inside. Predictable as ever, our old teacher sat behind his desk, a wide array of papers stacked on his desk as he took an idle puff from his pipe. "Ah, it's you two. I'm glad to see you both back in one piece. How'd things go?" Sarutobi asked.

"Relatively well, as you might expect from the prize the Anbu returned with," I answered.

"Indeed, they're interrogating him as we speak. May I see your report?" he asked. I brought it out and handed it to him before returning to my spot next to Jiraiya. Sensei skimmed through it, pausing once. "Interesting strategy, allowing them to capture you," he mused. I fought off the ensuing blush, and glared briefly at my white haired teammate so that he'd keep his mouth shut. He looked off at the wall, staying silent.

At least something went right.

I let out an inward sigh of relief, and soon he was finished reading. "Since it would seem that you accomplished your mission, how did the other portion of it go?" he asked. Oh right, the supposed "bonding" we were supposed to experience. Now it was my turn to bite my tongue to stay quiet.

"It went well. We had some time to ourselves and I think we're closer because of it," Jiraiya replied. Time to ourselves…closer…? What was he referring to? Regardless, I didn't want another, "bond while you fight for your life" mission, so I nodded, keeping my face smooth.

"Good! I'm glad to see you two have gotten past your differences. And that you make quite the team because of it. All right, you're dismissed until further notice. Good job." That went surprisingly painless. We gave him minor bows before we left his office.

As I walked down the stairs, Jiraiya tagged behind me, making me a little uncomfortable. Was he planning something again…?

"Man I'm starving…what about you?" he asked, catching up with me as we reached ground level.

I nodded in an off-hand way, "I haven't eaten anything since this morning, so I'm rather hungry. Why do you ask?" I decided to play along. What was the worst thing that could happen, my illogical side getting the best of me? Ch-yeah, like I hadn't already had that happen enough. I was getting used to it, as sad as that was.

"Well before I came, I think I went a little overboard making my dinner for when I got back. Maybe you could help me get rid of it?" I laughed to mask my surprise. Was he _asking_ me _out_?

"I thought you said you were starving."

"I am, but, well, you have to see it to understand. C'mon," he insisted, grabbing my arm to drag me along. I was glad he wasn't facing me any longer; because I was sure my face turned a nice shade of red. I let out a sigh, and allowed him to pull me along. I was certain there was something more to this meal, but I was getting sick of fighting with this.

Then again, I could just be an idiot and reading way too far into things. I kind of hoped that was all it was.

In hardly any time at all, we reached his apartment. It was about then that I realized that I had never actually _been_ to his home before. I guess there was a first for everything. When we entered, he dashed off to the kitchen, and I wandered around, looking things over curiously.

"This is a pretty nice place you have," I commented.

"Yeah, but the rent is pretty insane," he replied from the kitchen. I continued walking, finding a door only slightly ajar. I gently nudged it aside, going inside. I didn't even notice what else was in the room; the only thing I saw was the large window, the scarlet light of the setting sun setting the room ablaze. I let out a low gasp as I drew nearer to the window. I didn't know you could get that kind of view anywhere…

"Something wrong?" Jiraiya asked, appearing almost instantly in the doorway.

"No…it's just that this view is breathtaking," I replied, continuing to look out the window. I hardly even noticed when Jiraiya stood next to me, leaning on the window ledge.

"Yeah, it was one of the main reasons why I had to live here," he said. I felt his eyes on me before he quickly looked away. Odd. He started walking off again, "If you think that's amazing, you should stick around for moonrise."

Now I was interested.

"Why's that?" I asked, tearing my gaze away from the natural beauty to another one that was insistent on walking away.

"If the curtains are open, my entire room is flooded with moonlight," he replied.

"I guess I'll have to stay then," I answered, entered the kitchen, his back to me. I could see the massive amount of food behind, well technically in front of, him. "You really weren't lying. Maybe we should call Tsunade over as well."

"Nah, you know her, she eats like a bird around us," he remarked. I laughed. He did have a point.

"Yes she does. You never know though." If she were there, it would ruin any plans he might have…which could be good or bad, depending on which state of mind was in control.

He shrugged, "By the time she gets here, we'll have it all eaten anyway."

"Good point," I laughed again to mask my thoughts. Okay, he definitely wasn't acting normal. If he had been, he would've jumped all over the opportunity to have Ms. Bosomy come over.

"Right… Ittadakimasu!" Though it wasn't like me, I started to let my guard down around him, pushing my 'what if' thoughts aside. So what if he found out that I like him? It's not like the world would stop moving, right? And if he shunned me for it…well, it would make researching easier, I suppose.

"I think if I eat anymore, I'll explode," I said, letting out a small sigh. Who knew the idiot was that good at cooking?

"That's a good thing. You need to get some meat on those skinny bones of yours."

"Ha ha, very funny."

"I know." I smiled wryly at him. It certainly was a strange sensation to be this at ease around someone. I had to admit, it was really…nice.

"How long do you think it will be until moonrise?" I asked.

"I'd say somewhere around 9:30, 10pm."

"We still have quite some time then," I stated, having glanced at the clock. It was only quarter after seven. I wondered how we'd find a way to stay occupied until then…I certainly was no good at starting conversations.

"Since we have some time, there's been something that's been bothering me…" I froze. Was he going to ask about the incident in the cell…? "Just what were you going to say in that cell if those thugs hadn't shown up?"

I knew it.

So much for having 'read too far into things'. Damn it.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I said, trying to keep my voice even. I didn't want to panic.

"Yes, I believe you do. You were going to tell me why you didn't like the idea of even a clone 'screaming' my name, as I recall you saying," he continued, as if I had said nothing, "Also why you were uncomfortable with having the experience of such a thing."

"You're becoming clever as you mature…" I said softly, my pulse beginning to quicken despite my attempts to calm it. "You set this all up, didn't you? This was all bait so you could get me alone to ask such inconsequential things… Very clever indeed."

"You're avoiding the question, Orochimaru."

"I don't feel obligated to answer it. Them, rather."

"So you'd prefer for me to tell Sensei the truth about how the mission really went?" he retorted. Damn it…

I narrowed my eyes, "He wouldn't believe you. Who was the gifted student of the squad and who was the one to be tied to a log?" I shot back coolly. Jiraiya got to his feet. He must be serious.

"Yes, but who wrote the report? And who was the honest student and who was the brooding one?" he countered, heading for the door. I couldn't let him leave, because I just knew Sensei would believe him. I got to the door before him, and pressed my back against it.

"You aren't leaving," I said coldly, glaring up into his grey eyes.

"I'm not? You're forgetting who's physically stronger," he taunted. In one swift motion, he pinned both of my hands above my head with only his right hand. My eyes widened in surprise and I immediately fought against his hold.

"Let go of me," I growled, fighting to no avail against his strength.

"No. Now, you can either make this easy or fun for me. You can answer my question, or I can find out through trial and error," he smirked. Damn him…he completely tricked me into this, and I followed his little plan perfectly. Was I becoming predictable…?

"Try me, I'm not telling you a thing," I hissed, glowering at him.

"Very well, as you wish," he murmured, coming close to my face, his head tilted slightly to the side. My eyes widened again.

Was he going to _kiss_ me?

I flattened against the door. Deciding my arms were useless, I tried using my legs to get him away from me, but try as I might, he wouldn't budge. In a last ditch effort, I whipped my head to the side. If he did kiss me…I wasn't sure even _I_ could hide the effects it would have.

His heated breath caressed my neck, causing me to shiver. Shit…that's right, I'd worn the uniform with the shorter collar…could I be any more of an idiot? And then he pressed his lips against my throat, and if I hadn't the will power I did, I would have whimpered. I bit my tongue hard as he continued; making my already racing heart beat faster. I nearly lost it when he dragged his tongue against my jugular. I opened my mouth slightly, my accelerated heartbeat demanded more air.

"Is something wrong, Orochimaru? Your breathing is rather irregular…" he said softly. I refused to look at him; it would only make this humiliation worse. If I could keep control during this, I could probably do anything.

He forced my face to look in his direction, but I kept my eyes away from his. I wasn't going to let him win this…

"You could just stop resisting this and start enjoying it," he suggested. As if that was an option… Didn't he realize what he was doing to me? Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him lean in again, but I couldn't look away, his hand keeping my face from turning. He pressed his lips against mine, kissing me softly. Was this what heaven felt like…? He increased the torture by pressing the rest of his body against mine. Try as I might, I couldn't keep from gasping. Luckily for me, it probably seemed like it was from surprise, and not from desire. He made things worse by slipping his tongue into my mouth. This time it felt like he was urging me to kiss him back. It took everything I had to not give into that urging. With all of my strength concentrated on that, the rest of my body went limp.

He didn't relent until he needed to breathe. I struggled for breath, my eyes closed.

"Why…?" I managed to get out, keeping my eyes shut.

"Why what…?" he asked, his voice soft and comforting. Was this part of his act as well…?

"Why me…? I'm cold, and treat you horribly…and above all else, I'm male." Did that even matter to him? It sure didn't seem that way when he was ravishing me a few seconds ago.

He chuckled lowly, "You're a challenge. You fight me every step of the way, and I enjoy that. Though, it would be nice if you would let me catch you every once and a while…" he hinted, tilting his head again. This time when he kissed me, I kissed back, even though I had no idea what I was doing. His words had given even my logical side a reason to please him.

He dropped my arms and linked both of his around my waist. I hesitantly slipped my arms under his and gently pulled him closer. As unreal as it seemed, I wasn't going to let this get away unused. Sure, the dreams felt life-like, but now that I had experienced it in real…I realized how fake the dreams had been.

When we pulled apart to breathe, I smirked slightly.

"I take it you won't be telling Sensei anything now…?" I asked smugly. He narrowed his eyes. What was that for? I was just joking…

"You were acting this entire time…?" he asked, his voice nearly pleading.

"Not exactly. I did over-exaggerate my breathing a few times, but that's not to say I didn't enjoy it."

He pushed me away, "I don't believe you…"

"Nor do I. To think you'd pin me against a _wall_ to get your way. Pathetic," I taunted. I saw him tense before storming off. Wait…was he taking my jabs seriously? He never used to…

Honestly Jiraiya. Moron.

I managed to slip inside his room before he slammed the door shut behind him.

"Did you come to tease me some more?" he muttered. I sighed.

"Jiraiya, you take things _way_ too literally around me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"There you go again… What I mean is when I said that thing about you not having to run to Sensei…it was because you got what you wanted, so you no longer needed to go." He looked at me confused. He really was simple minded at times. "You got your answer, one way or another, didn't you? I'm assuming the real question you wanted to ask was whether or not I liked you…?"

"And if it was?" I sighed again. The fact that he was acting like childish proved to me that he wasn't just teasing me earlier with his actions. He must feel the same to be this upset.

"Would you prefer if I just answered your first questions, now that the truth is pretty much out of the bag?" He nodded. "Very well, the reason why I didn't want my clone and your clone doing things was because I was afraid it would give away the fact that I _wanted_ the act to be _real_. I was uncomfortable because I was certain you, my skirt-chasing teammate, could never feel for me what I was feeling for you." I finally looked away, feeling completely exposed. I'd never told someone so fully what I was thinking or how I felt. Taking a breath, I continued.

"Besides," I said, looking back at him, smiling wryly again, "did you honestly think I could act something like that out that well without ever experiencing it? I know I'm clever Jiraiya, but that's really pushing even _my_ skills." I managed to draw a small laugh from him with that.

"So all this time…?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Silence settled between us after that, but it was an 'I like you enough that words don't need to describe it' kind of silence. The moonrise finally came, pouring its silvery blue light into the room. Up until that point, I couldn't remember a time when I had seen him bathed in moonlight.

I walked towards him slowly, feeling shy again, taking in his moonlit features.

"Something wrong…?" he asked when I had reached his side.

"Not really, just that the moonlight does some amazing things to your appearance…" I trailed off, my wandering gaze landing on the bed, _his_ bed, behind him. Was it really necessary to have that large of a bed…?

He must have seen where I was looking because he spoke up, "You know, there's plenty of room for two in there if you'd like to stay the night," he suggested. The tone of his voice and the serenity of the night nearly made me nod in agreement, but even when I was illogical, I could still draw a line.

I smiled, closing my eyes to forever etch the memory of this night into my mind. "I think I'll pass. I've already been a glutton tonight."

"Are you sure…?"

"Quite, but I won't object to a goodnight kiss," I commented, reopening my eyes. He smiled, bringing me into his arms again.

"A goodnight kiss it is," he murmured, connecting our mouths again. Deciding I had a better idea of how to kiss, I ran my tongue across his lower lip. He understood what I was asking and allowed me in. I could definitely get used to this feeling…

When we finally parted, we were both breathing harder than before. Even though I knew it would be stupid to keep going, I couldn't seem to draw the strength to pull away from him.

He dazzled me again by being the one to pull away. I looked into his grey eyes thankfully.

"No need to rush through the good stuff. There's plenty of time for that," he smirked. I grinned back.

"Exactly."

"I'll see you tomorrow snake-boy."

"Likewise, toad-face."

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_Review?_


	15. Chapter 15

_Well, it wasn't as soon as I would have liked, but even on vacation, my time was limited. I apologize. I appreciate all my reviews (as always, loves -smiles-). Sorry if I confused any of you to think the last chapter was the last. But anyway...you've waited long enough, yes? Enjoy!_

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**Teamwork – part 8 –**

The next morning I woke way earlier than I wanted. For the second day in a row, I woke with the sun in my eyes. I let out a reminiscent sigh, remembering why I had forgotten to close the curtains the night before.

At least I finally had my answer, and I couldn't be happier with it.

Although it was only about seven in the morning, I got up, the memory of the pervious night giving me a surge of energy. I went about all the normal morning things until I got ready to go out and do something fun. By that time, it was about nine.

At first I just wandered the streets, not entirely sure of where I was going, or what I wanted to do with my day off. Naturally, a few ideas came to mind, but I didn't really see them coming to fruition. I didn't want to appear too desperate, after all, and I highly doubted what I was thinking of was on the top of Orochimaru's to-do list.

While I was thinking, I hadn't really paid attention to where I was going, and soon I found myself by the cemetery. Slightly bewildered, I shook my head and was about to keep walking when a very familiar figure caught my eye.

Why was he there?

I decided to investigate. Besides, I knew I was unconsciously heading in the direction of his apartment in the first place.

He heard my approach and glanced up warily, but his expression softened slightly when he saw it was me and not someone else. It was rare and only when he was with certain people that he'd allow some emotion into his eyes, and I knew immediately whose graves were at his feet.

The sun suddenly seemed too bright. A cold fall wind gusted through the cemetery, ruffling his silk-like black hair.

"How…old were you when it happened…?" I asked gently. He shrugged slightly, not meeting my eyes.

"I was rather young. A year or so before I started at the academy," was his murmured reply. I recalled that first day. I was about to turn seven. Silence settled between us for a few moments, the only sound coming from the wind that rustled the leaves overhead. "It's fine. They're in a better place…possibly even reincarnated by now," he spoke up.

"Really?" He nodded. I waited for him to explain, but instead he went rigid. Confused, I asked, "What's wrong?" Not replying, he simply turned around and I did the same, wondering what was going on.

Two Anbu knelt behind us.

I guess that explains it.

"You are to report to Hokage-sama immediately."

"Wait, why? What did we do?"

"We can't speak of it completely here, but it has to do with the mission you returned from." With that, they disappeared, leaving me more confused. I didn't even notice when Orochimaru began walking away.

"Are you coming or not?" he asked, turning back to look at me.

"Yeah, of course," I answered catching up with him as we headed towards Sensei's office. "Do you have any clue as to why we're being summoned about a mission we already completed?"

"Not really…unless we missed something, but I doubt it. We'll just have to wait and see."

When we reached his office, the door was already open, so we entered finding our former teacher with a contemplative expression.

"So what's up?" I asked, breaking the tension. He let out a sigh, leaning over his desk as he looked up at us.

"The 'leader' you brought in wasn't the top of the organization; he was merely a high ranking officer in charge of one section of the charade." My eyes widened in surprise. So _that_ was why he was acting so cocky even at the end, knowing we weren't wiping out the whole organization with him.

"So what you're saying is that their true headquarters is somewhere else?" Orochimaru asked.

"Exactly. Luckily we were able to get that 'somewhere' out of your catch. From what he said, we believe it to be north of the Land of Snow."

"So you want us to go up there and get the real bastard behind all this?" I asked, half already knowing the answer.

"Yes, but you've already dealt with a situation similar to this…the only difference is that this is on a larger scale. And besides, you two work very well together, and you're both quite powerful for only being 19. I have faith in you two."

Orochimaru and I exchanged glances, his expression looking mildly surprised. I bet if we do well on this mission, Sensei would promote me to Jounin…after all, Orochimaru already was one.

"When do we leave?" Orochimaru asked, returning his gaze to our teacher.

"As soon as possible. It will take you at least a day to reach the village."

"Right…we should be ready in about a half hour, if that," I said. With that, we left.

"I didn't want to admit before, but I had a feeling that mission was too simple to be complete with just that tiny building," Orochimaru muttered. I recalled the way he seemed to stiffen when Sensei said we had to go the Snow. If I didn't know he was warm blooded, I'd begin to think otherwise…

"We're better prepared now, just as Sensei said, this'll be easy," I assured.

"I sure hope so," he said before we parted to go to our separate apartments. I was ready in 15 minutes time, most of my stuff was still packed. I made sure I had enough warm clothing before I set out for the gates. My pack was definitely heavier than the one from before.

Oh well, I knew the blanket I had shoved in there would come in handy at some point.

Even though I had been quick about getting ready, Orochimaru still beat me to the gate.

"Ready?" he asked, I nodded in response. "Let's go then." With that, we set out heading in the direction of the northern sea.

"Do you think the place will be easy to find?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Maybe. Their other one wasn't hid very well."

"True…" It had just been a small building in the woods with a pair of sentries. Not secure at all, though maybe they had gotten people that way.

"Though…" he continued, "if it's their main base, they may have cast a barrier genjutsu on it."

"If they managed to recruit strong enough ninja for the job, that is." I saw a smile tug up the corners of his mouth.

"Right, and it isn't exactly likely. I doubt they could offer anything that would draw in high level rouge ninja."

"Exactly." We may have been acting a little cocky, but given what we'd already experienced with those people, we kind of had the right to be.

By noon, we were on a small non-descript boat on our way to our frigid destination. We were alone, both of us confident we could manage the small craft. Though I was confident about the mission, I was glad I could have at least one carefree night alone with him… I grinned. I couldn't wait for sunset.

While I waited for sunset to come I spent most of the time learning the basics of steering a ship – Orochimaru had to explain it to me. It was ridiculously simple. I had it down with a matter of minutes, of which, Orochimaru was pleased. He really was lazy when it came down to it, so I was at the helm most of the day. I didn't mind too much since I could daydream the time away.

The sun finally began to set. It felt like it took an eternity even though it actually set earlier than when were farther south. I guess that meant we were getting steadily closer. Not only that, but there was an occasional burst of artic wind that drifted over the boat.

I saw Orochimaru shiver more than once during the day, and as the sun vanished behind the horizon the temperature began to plummet even more. I saw, out of the corner of my eye, him grab something warm out of his pack. By that point, it was probably in the low 40's.

We continued for a few more hours before we both decided it was time to call it quits. According to the map, we weren't far, so it would be best to turn in early to land early the next morning.

I couldn't help but smirk, remembering how when we rented the boat, Orochimaru hadn't cared to check the Captain's cabin. I was grateful for that, but I doubt he would have protested to sharing a bed this time anyway. It had definitely gotten cold, and I would be something warm to snuggle up to.

My smirk only grew as I stepped down from the wheel as Orochimaru finished the night preparations to keep us from moving too much.

"Looks like it will be cold tonight…" I commented lightly, trying to hide my sarcasm. Orochimaru scowled.

"It already _is_ cold. It'd better be warmer inside the cabin."

"Oh, it will be. There's only one bed, so we should be able to keep each other warm," I grinned. He looked up surprised, then shook his head.

"I knew I should've checked that…" he sighed.

"Aww, c'mon, don't be such a downer. Besides, you said yourself its cold. I'll keep you warm."

"So long as we don't lose clothing in the process." Now it was my turn to sigh. I thought he liked me…jeeze.

"Like I would waste your first time on a frigid vessel. I have a little more tact than that, Orochi," I assured.

"Just checking," he replied, fighting to hide a grin.

He really did enjoy teasing me…oh well, I guess that was his way of showing he was comfortable around me.

We stepped inside the cabin, finding it to be a good 10 degrees warmer, but still chilly.

"We should have bought wood for a small fire," Orochimaru mused.

"We'll be fine, I brought an extra blanket just in case something like this came up," I said, pulling it out as proof.

"You're a lifesaver sometimes…" he murmured gratefully as he ditched his vest and shoes.

"I thought you said you didn't want to lose any clothing…" I commented, intentionally making my voice seductive. He flushed a pretty shade of scarlet.

"Don't be stupid. I don't want scrolls digging into my ribs when I sleep," he muttered, climbing into bed. I laughed, doing the same after draping the extra blanket over the ones on the bed. I felt my face grow warm when he nearly immediately brought me closer, nestling his face into the crook of my neck.

"Mmm…you are warm," he murmured. I smiled triumphantly.

"Told you so," I teased, draping an arm across his waist. I could feel him smile. Nothing more was said. Before long, his breathing slowed to that of slumber. I managed to stay awake for a little longer, gently running my free hand through his dark hair. Eventually I slipped under, not waking again for quite some time.

The next time I woke was because Orochimaru was shivering next to me. Around the cracks of the door I could make out a definite lightness.

"We really must be close," Orochimaru muttered, fighting off another shiver.

"Yeah, we should probably get ready for when the shore appears," I said, reluctantly sitting up. He followed in suit, wrapping a blanket around himself as I got to my feet. I instantly regretted not stepping into my shoes, the floor felt like ice. He chuckled as I scrambled to put them on. He grabbed his before I could put them out of reach. Oh well.

I threw on some of the warmer clothing on and stepped outside, flurries scurrying through the sky. I looked farther, catching a glimpse of the shoreline.

"We're not even there yet and it's already snowing," Orochimaru muttered, joining me on deck.

"We're close though. Look," I said pointing towards shore. He simply scowled before burying more of his face into his scarf.

"The sooner this is over, the better. Let's start planning now."

"Good idea… So we know its north of the main village, that will take a bit to get through," I said, pulling out the map. He looked over my shoulder, resting his chin there as I continued, "After we're though the village, it's mostly wilderness, so it shouldn't be too hard to spot a headquarters."

"Unless it's underground like the other place, in which case it could take forever to find."

"Well, we could always use your 'strategy' and have one of us get caught and then the other could follow to find it."

"That could work, and it would probably be the fastest, considering we aren't familiar with the area. We'll just have to go find some dark alleys in the village."

"We can split up again, but stay in closer vicinity, so that we'll be able to reach the other faster when the other's chakra flares. That'll be our signal to begin tracking," I said, folding up the map.

"You really _are_ becoming clever," Orochimaru commented. I blinked in surprise. _He_ was complimenting _me_? There was a first. I smiled to myself; it seemed he'd finally ditched his barrier completely when he was around me. It grew when I realized I was probably the only one he let his guard down around.

"What are you grinning about?" he asked, glancing back at me.

"Oh nothing."

"Good, then maybe you could help me prepare for docking?"

"Right." I can't let it go too much to my head…knowing him, it was possible he may retract his affection if he sensed I was gloating over it.

The dock was deserted when we arrived. Not sure why, we got off cautiously and tied the boat up. We also took everything with us.

"I guess it's earlier than we thought," I said uncertainly.

"No…it must be at least seven for it to be this light out. Something is going on…" he said, golden eyes searching the landscape warily.

"We got word we may have issues from some obnoxious Konoha shinobi…looks like they weren't kidding…" We froze, 10 ninja appeared, they must have been ninja to be so fast, out of nowhere, along with a thug at their helm.

"You just saved us a lot of trouble…" Orochimaru murmured, his eyes narrowing. He slunk down into a fighting position, not even bothering to take off his pack, his eyes glittering dangerously. They laughed, provoking him to attack.

He really needed to keep a better lock on his temper sometimes.

I went in to cover him, not having much other choice. I didn't like the odds, two against ten unknown level ninja. We found out soon enough how strong they were. I managed to knock two or three down before they sent me flying. I landed hard, my head hitting the stone ground.

I looked up, struggling to sit up, but I couldn't, my vision going black before I could get a clear picture.

So much for planning…what was going to happen now…?

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_Review?_


	16. Chapter 16

_Well this is a little quicker than normal, right? -smiles sheepishly- Anyway, despite my usual packed schedule, I couldn't help but work on this. I think I'm getting into this story too much. XD So...yeah. Thanks a load to my reviewers, you guys are great! I hope you like this chapter as well. Enjoy!_

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**Teamwork – part 8 –**

The next morning I woke groggy, my vision still hazy from all the crazy dreams I'd had the night before. Not that I was surprised. The previous evening was more than enough to make my over-imaginative mind go wild. Just recalling his warm, inviting lips was enough to send a chill through my body.

He really did a number on me last night. I began to wonder how I could face him again without going to pieces.

I shook my head, what was I thinking? I was stronger than that. I could face him and keep my composure. I'd done it before, I'd do it again.

I got up, deciding a shower would fully wake me, and rid myself of that lingering lustful feeling. The cool water was refreshing, clearing my head. When I was finished, I felt rejuvenated, and I even felt strong enough to visit them.

Wearing mostly black out of respect, I left, knowing where I was headed. In a few minutes, I reached the cemetery gates. I hesitated momentarily before walking past them, heading down the rows until I reached the correct one.

The stone was a little more worn the last time I had visited, and I smiled a little sadly. I couldn't help but hope what Sensei had said about them was true. It would be interesting to meet their reincarnated forms one day.

I heard soft footsteps behind me and I stiffened, glancing over my shoulder. I was surprised to find Jiraiya walking up. Would that boy ever cease to amaze me?

I returned my gaze to the stone at my feet, the etchings of my parent's names slowly beginning to fade, but still easily legible. A cold wind swept over us, but most of it was blocked by his larger form, I only felt it in my hair.

"How…old were you when it happened…?" Jiraiya asked softly, and I shrugged, not wanting to meet his grey eyes quite yet.

"I was rather young. A year or so before I started at the academy," I answered just as softly. I still remembered the day, even though I tried to forget it. I remember the Anbu member appearing at my door, holding their bloody headbands in his grasp, and even behind his mask I could tell his eyes were sorrowful. I took them, hesitantly, their slowly drying blood sticky to my fingertips. I closed my eyes, blacking the image out of my mind. It wouldn't do to think about that, especially not around him, who I knew would comfort me. I didn't want to feel weak.

"It's fine. They're in a better place…possibly even reincarnated by now," I murmured when I sensed Jiraiya was waiting for more.

"Really?" I nodded, and as I formed the words to explain what Sensei had told me that day so long ago, I felt a presence, no, two behind us. They weren't trying to hide it. "What's wrong?" How could he not notice them? I turned around, not wanting to make him sound sillier. He quickly turned around too, finding the two Anbu knelt before us.

"You are to report to Hokage-sama immediately."

"Wait, why? What did we do?" Jiraiya asked, clearly confused. I had to admit I was as well. Then horror hit me. Was what we did last night not allowed…?

"We can't speak of it completely here, but it has to do with the mission you returned from." They disappeared after that.

I let out a small sigh of relief. At least it didn't have to do with _that_. I started walking away, figuring the faster we got to Sensei's office, the better. I didn't notice until about five steps that Jiraiya wasn't beside me.

"Are you coming or not?" I asked, turning to glance back at him.

"Yeah, of course," he said, catching up to me quickly. We walked a quick pace the rest of the way. "Do you have any clue as to why we're being summoned about a mission we already completed?"

"Not really…unless we missed something, but I doubt it. We'll just have to wait and see," I replied. I didn't want to say it, but I had had a bad feeling about the mission since it was finished. Something just didn't seem right.

The door was already open, so we walked in. For some reason, the expression on my former teacher's face made him seem much older than he was. I didn't like that.

"So what's up?" Jiraiya asked, ever the ice breaker. Sarutobi let out a sigh, looking up at us.

"The 'leader' you brought in wasn't the top of the organization; he was merely a high ranking officer in charge of one section of the charade." I really did hate it when my gut feelings were right.

"So what you're saying is that their true headquarters is somewhere else?" I asked, feeling as though I was asking the obvious.

"Exactly. Luckily we were able to get that 'somewhere' out of your catch. From what he said, we believe it to be north of the Land of Snow." Lovely. Just what I wanted to do, freeze my ass off.

"So you want us to go up there and get the real bastard behind all this?" Jiraiya asked, his voice sounding a little let down.

"Yes, but you've already dealt with a situation similar to this…the only difference is that this is on a larger scale. And besides, you two work very well together, and you're both quite powerful for only being 19. I have faith in you two."

I glanced momentarily over at Jiraiya, surprised. Normally he'd scold us on something we did wrong.

"When do we leave?" I asked, looking back at Sensei.

"As soon as possible. It will take you at least a day to reach the village."

"Right…we should be ready in about a half hour, if that," Jiraiya said before we left.

I let out a sigh before speaking, "I didn't want to admit before, but I had a feeling that mission was too simple to be complete with just that tiny building," I muttered. Why did they have to be in the Snow? Could they be anymore of a pain in the ass?

"We're better prepared now, just as Sensei said, this'll be easy," Jiraiya insisted.

"I sure hope so." By that point we were back to where we split paths again. I was now glad that I had procrastinated with my bag. I simply replenished what I had gone through and threw some warmer clothes inside and was off.

I reached the gate first, and waited patiently. I didn't have to wait long, Jiraiya appearing soon after.

"Ready?" I asked and he nodded. "Let's go then." We began our trip to the northern sea.

"Do you think the place will be easy to find?" he asked, breaking the silence that had settled between us.

"Maybe. Their other one wasn't hid very well."

"True…" I hoped it would be easy to find. Especially if it was buried in snow. I scowled slightly, thinking about it, knowing things were never that easy.

"Though…" I continued, "if it's their main base, the may have cast a barrier genjutsu on it." That seemed what would be logical, anyway.

"If they managed to recruit strong enough ninja for the job, that is." I smirked slightly, he had a point.

"Right and it isn't exactly likely. I doubt they could offer anything that would draw in high level rouge ninja."

"Exactly." It was stupid to be acting this cocky, but it was nice anyway. Gloating was definitely entertaining.

We reached the coast quickly enough, already on a boat by noon that day. It was calming, being alone out on the water. It was quiet and relaxing; aside from the minor lessons I had to give on steering and such. Once he was fine on his own, I walked around the deck, lazing about, I suppose you could say.

I daydreamed a good portion of the day away, random plots of how the mission would turn out running through my head, making me smile throughout the day. This mission couldn't be that hard, could it? I mean, we already had experience with it, so it shouldn't take us too long.

As the day progressed, it grew steadily cooler. I guess that was a good sign, even though it made me irritable. I really didn't like the cold. The sun set, making matters worse, the already chilly temperature dropping off even more. Annoyed, I pulled out a scarf from my pack and shoved my hands in my pockets. It stayed that way for a few more hours, until we decided it was time to turn in.

Since Jiraiya had done most of the work during the day, I did the night preps, making sure we wouldn't drift off course while we slept. He stepped down from the helm, watching while I worked.

"Looks like it will be cold tonight…" he commented. Was he trying to be cute? Honestly.

I scowled, "It already _is_ cold. It'd better be warmer inside the cabin."

"Oh, it will be. There's only one bed, so we should be able to keep each other warm," he grinned. I glanced up, surprised. I shook my head.

"I knew I should've checked that…" I sighed. He loved taking advantage of those kinds of things. Oh well.

"Aww, c'mon, don't be such a downer. Besides, you said yourself its cold. I'll keep you warm."

"So long as we don't lose clothing in the process." Now I was teasing. At least I hoped that wasn't his plan. He sighed.

"Like I would waste your first time on a frigid vessel. I have a little more tact than that, Orochi," he assured. He really did take me seriously too often.

"Just checking," I replied, trying not to grin. We stepped inside, and though it was warmer, it was still much colder than I would have liked. "We should have bough wood for a small fire," I mused. I hadn't thought of it at the time, probably because I didn't realize it would be this cold.

"We'll be fine, I brought an extra blanket just in case something like this came up," he said, pulling it out.

Sometimes I really wanted to hug that boy out of sheer appreciation.

"You're a lifesaver sometimes…" I murmured, kicking off my shoes and taking off my vest before lying down.

"I thought you said you didn't want to lose any clothing…" he commented slyly, his voice tempting. My face grew very warm.

"Don't be stupid. I don't want scrolls digging into my ribs when I sleep," I muttered, pulling the minor blankets the bed had up around me. He laughed, putting his extra blanket on before climbing in next to me.

An idea struck me then. If he could tease me and make me blush, I could do the same.

I grabbed onto him, pulling him closer before nuzzling his neck affectionately. His breath caught, so it must have done the trick. I smirked slightly.

"Mmm…you _are_ warm," I murmured.

"Told you so," he teased, draping an arm across my waist. I smiled, recalling how that had startled me so much that night at the hotel. I certainly welcomed his closeness now.

I remained silent after that, and so did he. Before I knew it, I fell asleep, his warmth comforting.

The next thing I remember was fighting off a shiver, despite how close Jiraiya had remained throughout the night. I forced my eyes open, and found that it was at least morning. My shaking stirred him beside me.

"We really must be close," I muttered, fighting another shiver.

"Yeah, we should probably get ready for when the shore appears," he said, sitting up. I sat up as well, wrapping the blanket he brought around me. I didn't realize the temperature would drop off so far so quickly.

I couldn't help but laugh when Jiraiya foolishly stepped onto the icy floor with bare feet. He hopped around a bit before finally putting his shoes on. He glared at me and lunged for my shoes, but I snatched them out of his reach just in time. He put more clothes on before heading outside, letting a gust of cold air in with him. I scowled, grabbing my bag for more clothing as well.

When I felt more prepared for the elements, I ventured outside.

"We're not even there yet and it's already snowing," I muttered, glaring at the little white puffs falling from the sky.

"We're close though. Look," he said, pointing out a shoreline. Great. I hid more of my face with my scarf.

"The sooner this is over, the better. Let's start planning now."

"Good idea… So we know its north of the main village, that will take a bit to get through," he began, pulling out a map. I watched over his shoulder, slightly annoyed by how I had to stand nearly on my tip-toes just to do so. "After we're through the village, it's mostly wilderness, so it shouldn't be too hard to spot a headquarters," he said, pointing out the area.

"Unless it's underground like the other place, in which case it could take forever to find."

"Well, we could always use your 'strategy' and have one of us get caught and then the other could follow to find it."

"That could work, and it would probably be the fastest, considering we aren't familiar with the area. We'll just have to go find some dark alleys in the village."

"We can split up again, but stay in closer vicinity, so that we'll be able to reach the other faster when the other's chakra flares. That'll be our signal to begin tracking," he stated, folding up the map. I was a little surprised, he, of all people, was coming up with a decent plan.

"You really _are_ becoming clever," I commented, stepping back. I walked over to the railing, trying to judge how far out we were. It wasn't too far now, only about 500 meters, tops. I could feel his eyes on me, so I turned around. "What are you grinning about?" I asked, noticing his expression.

"Oh nothing."

"Good, then maybe you could help me prepare for docking?" I asked, sarcastically.

"Right."

In no time, we reached the dock, finding it devoid of people, even though the sun had to have been up for a while now. That worried me as we packed up our things to leave.

"I guess it's earlier than we thought," Jiraiya noted, uncertain.

"No…it must be at least seven for it to be this light out. Something is going on…" I said, searching the surrounding area, looking for any sign of human life. It was if we were in a ghost town.

"We got word we may have issues from some obnoxious Konoha shinobi…looks like they weren't kidding…" I whipped around; freezing, seeing 10 ninja appear as if out of thin air. Show offs.

"You just saved us a lot of trouble…" I retorted, eyes narrowing. I fell into a fighting position, not wanting to be caught off-guard again. They merely laughed. My eye twitched in annoyance before a launched an attack, intent on wiping their arrogant smirks off.

They didn't seem very fazed by my sudden attack, but I didn't relent, not wanting to be a victim again. I tried to keep track of them as well as I could, but it was hard with ten of them and with Jiraiya also fighting. I caught a glimpse of a leader figure, gloating in the background, his eyes watching my movements carefully.

When I was done with these idiots, he was _dead_.

The shinobi turned out to be decent fighters, even if it was because they outnumbered us. I wasn't having too much trouble with them, since they decided to split themselves evenly, five for me, and five for Jiraiya, but it didn't stay that way for long.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jiraiya get knocked back. He didn't manage to land on his feet, and dread crept through me when I didn't sense him get back up. I now had eight at once, and that was tough, even for me.

I continued on, despite the horrible odds. I started knocking them down, however, adrenaline giving my speed a boost. I thought I had them beat back, and I was certain I had, but when I glanced up, I noticed the leader was no longer where he had been standing.

"My, you're a pretty one. Strong too. Time to sleep now, pet," he murmured, his breath washing over my face, his far too close to mine for comfort. I moved to attack him, but it was already too late.

He struck me _hard_ at the base of the neck. The edges of my vision got dark, and I stumbled forward before things went completely black.

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_Review?_


	17. Chapter 17

_So. It's been like forever and a half since I updated. Sorry, but being a senior in high school zaps most of my time. I do feel bad about the wait though. I highly appreciate all the reviews, you guy's support is awesome. Without further adieu, enjoy!_

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**Teamwork – part 9 –**

The next time I woke, I hadn't a clue to where I was. I didn't even know how long I had been out. All I did know for sure was the room around me. If I had been caught again, this was a definite upgrade. It was still chilly and damp, but there was at least a relatively comfortable bed, on which I was laying. I wasn't in complete darkness either. Whoever brought me here had left a candle burning, its orange glow giving enough light to function by.

I sat up and found my ankle in a shackle. So I _had_ been caught again. Well, the first time had been my fault. This time it could be partially blamed on Orochimaru's short fuse. I let out a sigh, examining the harsh steel. It was chained to one of the legs of the bed, which I also found to be bolted to the floor.

Wasn't this just a lovely predicament?

Worst of all was they had separated us this time, provided they had gotten Orochimaru as well. He may have gotten away… Either way, he wasn't here, and that darkened my mood.

I decided to see how far away from the bed I could get. I was able to get to almost everywhere in the room – the bed was in the center, against a wall. Next I shuffled over to the door to see how hard it would be to get out. It was locked of course, but it couldn't have been too difficult of a lock. So the first step would be to unlock the chain from my leg and then work on the door. After that I'd have to find Orochimaru. I silently hoped he was nearby as I walked back to the bed.

I found my bag shoved under the bed. Anything they found valuable or dangerous was gone, but they hadn't searched my person very well. I retained a small knife along with my jutsu. They couldn't have taken that away…at least not that I was aware of. I tested that and let out a sigh of relief. I could still build up chakra…good.

I began working on the lock around my ankle, grateful for the candle. Even with my limited supplies – they'd also over-looked some steel wire – I was making good process.

The only thing that distracted me was wondering how Orochimaru was faring. I knew he managed to keep them at bay longer than I had – sounds of battling continued even after I hit the ground. I had a bad feeling that he was worse off.

The lock finally clicked open and I smiled before kicking the shackle off. The door was next. It would be interesting; I'd never picked one from the inside before. I brought the candle over with me – it had been out of reach before. I bent the wire as needed before I had the right shape. I hardened it with my chakra and twisted, causing the door to click open as well.

Grinning, I grabbed my bag, returned the candle and went out. I put my transparency jutsu in place and re-locked the door before beginning my exploration.

I soon found that this place was at least 10 times as large as their previous hideout, and that it was maze-like. I reached dead-ends frequently. And though there were plenty of locked doors on either side of the hallway, something told me that I wouldn't find Orochimaru behind any of them. They had considered feisty a good characteristic before, and he certainly was…which meant they would be holding him somewhere special. I shuddered just trying to comprehend what "special" was.

I eventually found a staircase leading up. I slowly ascended, staying to the side. When I reached the top, I waited, listening for anyone. It was silent, not even the occasional shifting of feet from a door guard.

To my surprise, the door was unlocked. I opened it hesitantly, glancing down both ways of the hallway. No one was there. I was beginning to grow suspicious but I continued regardless, knowing only someone with the Byakugan could see me.

This place was clearly a mansion. The new level was lit with oil lamps and seemed kind of dingy, like how you'd expect the servant's quarters or work area to be like.

I guess we wouldn't have needed to get caught; this place was obviously above ground.

As I walked, I came across the kitchen. There were only a few cooks present and their backs were to me. There was also a very tasty looking loaf of bread that I could snatch. I tiptoed inside and gently picked it up. I left just as silently, gloating over my catch. I put it in my bag until I could find a safe place to eat it.

I kept going, wondering when I'd find another staircase. Surely they wouldn't be keeping him in the servant's quarters. As I walked, I found a small bathroom.

At least something was going right.

I used that not only for its normal purposes, but also as an area to eat some of my stolen bread. When I was finished with that – I saved some in case Orochimaru hadn't been fed – I went back out. Not far away was another staircase. I carefully went up and there was yet another door. This time I could hear some voices as they came closer, I held my breath and listened.

"…was a feisty one, wasn't he?"

"From what I heard he put up quite the fight before they managed to knock him out."

"I'm sure the boss has already thought of a few of our highest buyers to sell him to."

"Oh yes, he's already contacted them. That's why he was spared of the dungeons."

"Really now…? So where is he?"

"Just upstairs, fully chained I bet."

"Interesting…"

By then their voices were too far off to hear properly.

I _knew_ he wasn't below. I grit my teeth…already contacted the "highest buyers"? Sick bastards.

I waited until I knew there was no one outside and then I stepped out, anger and fear fueling my speed. The final staircase came into view soon enough. This time there weren't doors on either end. I forced myself to go up slowly. When I reached the top I went to the right. My instincts were guiding me now. I turned left down a different hallway and came across two guards in front of a door.

That must be the room.

I stepped back and made an invisible clone before making my move. We floored them in a matter of seconds. I went to open the door and of course, it was locked. Annoyed, I searched the guards, finding a ring of keys on one of them. I tested them until I found the right one. When the door finally opened, I dashed inside.

My breath caught. The two from before had been right – he was chained almost everywhere. He was lifted a few inches from the ground, both ankles bound and chained to the wall behind him. There was a tether of some sort around his chest to keep the chains that held his arms out to either side from ripping them out of their sockets. As if that wasn't enough already, there was another tether around his throat, also chained to the wall. From the looks of things, he was still unconscious. They must have drugged him.

I closed the door behind me, keeping a tight grip on the keys as I advanced towards him.

The first thing I worked on was the collar at his throat. Then I moved to his arms. The keys helped a great deal. Once the tether on his chest was released he fell from the wall into my waiting arms. I rested him against my shoulder and got rid of the ankle shackles as well.

I shook him, not wanting to draw attention like I had last time by shouting his name. It took a few minutes, but he finally began to stir.

He slowly opened his eyes and I could already tell he was definitely drugged. His usually sharp eyes were hazy and unfocused. I helped him into a sitting position and began checking him over for injuries. He looked fine, except for the uncharacteristic lethargy.

"Can you stand?" I whispered. He shrugged slightly. "Let's try." I put one of his arms around my neck and hoisted him up.

He seemed unsteady so I kept a hold of him. It would be hard enough to get out of here if he was his usual self, but like this? I guess all we could do was try.

"Jiraiya…where are we…?" he asked softly. Despite the situation, his voice sounded very sensuous and I flushed slightly.

"The hideout. We were captured so we need to get away and rethink our plans. Especially with you in the state you're in, we can't try to finish the mission right now." He nodded slowly.

"Do you know the way out?"

"Not exactly…but there's a window. We can get out that way," I replied, helping him walk to it. I spotted his bag and picked it up, strapping it to his back before surveying outside. It appeared we were at the back and luckily there weren't any guard towers or barriers in sight.

"We'll have to go underground," he mumbled. "There are guards in the front."

"Thanks for the warning," I replied, opening the window. Knowing he probably couldn't climb down on his own, I hoisted him onto my back. He didn't make a sound, so I assumed he didn't mind.

I started on the way down, extremely grateful to all the time Sensei had spent drilling this jutsu into us. When we reached the ground, I spoke up.

"Okay, you said we have to go underground. How does that work exactly?"

"I'll take care of it. Lean over slightly so I don't have to grip you," he instructed, his voice beginning to sound less groggy. I took that as a good sign and did as he said, keeping a firm hold of his legs as he wove the signs in front of me. When he was finished, I felt like I was sinking into the ground. "Don't be alarmed, we'll have plenty of room to move and breathe down there."

I certainly hoped so.

I closed my eyes when they reached ground level and kept them shut until I stopped moving.

"Are you going to walk or not?" Orochimaru asked, exasperated. I opened my eyes, finding a tunnel in front of me. "Just follow it. From my calculations we should resurface a good half mile away." Even with his mind fogged by a drug, he could still manage all this…? He really was something else.

We walked; well _I_ walked, in silence. He was undoubtedly thinking of new plans. All I could think about was how lucky we were to have gotten out of there. Granted, I had done a lot of things differently from when I had rescued him the first time. That, I was sure, had a lot to do with it.

"You do know they didn't break my legs, right?" Orochimaru asked dryly after a few minutes into the trek.

"So you want down?" I asked, slowing to a stop.

"Yes." I let out a sigh, kneeling to let him down. I didn't mind carrying him, but it was probably another shot at his ego he didn't want. He stumbled the first few steps, but seemed fine after that.

"So um, once we're out of here, what are we going to do?" I asked.

"Well, for starters, we're going to find something to eat. They couldn't have complete control over this village, or we would've found out about that from that other freak we brought in. After that, we need to find a secure place to spend the night and plan our next move," he explained.

"If you're really ravenous right now, I managed to steal some bread while I was looking for you," I said, pulling it out of my pack. His eyes lit up when I handed it to him. "Feel free to eat all of it. I ate half of it earlier," I added when hesitated.

"Are you sure? It may be a while before we get back to the village."

"Yeah, I'm fine, go ahead," I insisted. "Besides, you're the skinny once, you need it more." He scowled a little at that, but didn't protest further.

We continued in silence while he ate. He finished just as we reached the end of our little underground path.

"At least they didn't take away our winter clothing," he muttered, pulling on a pair of close fitting gloves. I nodded and we ascended to orange tinted snow.

"It's already sunset?" I said, surprised.

"Yeah, but it sets at around five up here," Orochimaru informed, looking around. "Well that's convenient," he said point out a path. "It looks man-made, so hopefully it'll lead to the village."

"If it does, that must mean that they make frequent visits," I pointed out, noticing that it led back to the mansion we'd just left.

"We'll just have to be careful then," he sighed. We began down the path and before long the village came into sight. "Since it's unclear whether these people are loyal to those idiots or not, we'll need to listen in on some conversations before we show ourselves. If we split up, we'll cover more ground. We'll meet back here in 20 minutes, all right?"

"Sounds good I guess, just be careful, okay?"

"I will, and the same goes for you."

"Right. See you in twenty." He nodded and we took off. Putting my transparency jutsu in place, I decided to look for the local tavern think that would be my best bet to gather information.

It didn't take long to find it. I waited patiently outside until the door opened as someone left and I slipped inside. It was still pretty quiet, the night not having got into full swing yet. Regardless, I went over to the bar where I saw a conversation going on.

"I wish they'd find somewhere else to put their base…" one man muttered, taking a sip of his drink.

"Yeah, I hear you, but there isn't much we can do," the other sighed. "At least they haven't taken any of our people."

"Yet," the first added, annoyed.

"As long as we stay quiet about it, things should stay okay for us, at least."

"I still don't like it…"

"No one here does." That was what I'd been waiting for. So they were simply tolerating the tyranny…so there was a possibility they would be willing to help us. Satisfied with my finding, I slipped back outside and walked back to the meeting point. It was then I got an idea. Orochimaru would probably beat the shit out of me later for it, but it would be worth it.

Keeping my jutsu in place, I took a few steps back and waited. About five minutes later – at exactly twenty minutes, no less – Orochimaru walked up, his expression cautious with a tinge of worry. Perfect.

I silently slipped behind him and grabbed him, making sure to pin his arms to his sides. He immediately stiffened. "Didn't your friend tell you to be careful…?" I murmured, making my voice a little deeper than normal as I brushed my lips against his hair.. He relaxed slightly, recognizing my voice.

"Hmm…so he did. However, I told him the same," his voice was low and dangerous with a hint of sensuality. I shivered slightly and then realized he'd hooked a foot around one of my legs, just waiting to take me from my feet.

I let out a sigh before dropping my arms and the jutsu. "You're no fun."

He shrugged indifferently. "Did you figure anything out?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, the people here only seem to obey their rules because then none of them will be taken hostage," I explained.

"I got the same. They also seemed rather bitter about their situation, because they feel they're only making the problem worse."

I nodded, "Well that makes things a little easier. You didn't happen to find somewhere to stay, did you?"

He shook his head, "I think for safety's sake we should find somewhere that's deserted. No sense in bringing any attention to ourselves if it isn't necessary."

"All right, we could start by looking around the edge of the village first," I suggested, beginning to walk in that direction. "So when you say deserted…does it matter what kind of building it is?"

He thought for a moment, "For our sake's, it would be better if the place was small. If it was big, and we were found, an ambush would be far too easy to launch."

"Hmm, that makes sense," I replied. We remained quiet for a while after that, not wanting to draw attention to ourselves, even though not many people were out. By that time, it was full on dark, and we could easily tell by the lights if people were in houses or different buildings. If there weren't lit windows, we peered inside them to see if they were inhabited.

Eventually we found a possibility: a small cottage at the very edge of the village. It didn't look as though anyone had even gone up to the door for quite a while, the snow looked untouched.

Walking on top of the snow, trying to make as few footprints as possible, we approached the front door. It was unlocked, only frozen shut from the cold. I managed to get it open and we scrambled inside. Everything was covered in dust.

"There probably isn't heating…" Orochimaru sighed, a small cloud of white escaping his equally white lips as he shivered slightly. "At least I can steal body heat from you…" he murmured, wandering off to explore. I smiled a little at that, and followed after him. "We're in some luck," he said surprised. Glancing over his shoulder, he pointed towards a bed. One that still had sheets, even if they were choked with dust.

"I wish I had brought some food," he sighed, walking the short distance to the bed, sitting down.

"They probably would've just confiscated it anyway."

"True."

"I'll go find us something to eat. They didn't find the money I hid in the soles of my shoes," I offered, sitting down to get it out.

"Disguise yourself. Those bastards have probably found out by now that we escaped."

I nodded in agreement as I wove some signs to alter my appearance. "Is this good?"

"…maybe I should go. White hair is hard to forget," he said lightly, getting to his feet.

"And white _skin_ isn't?"

"I can change that. Everyone's pale here, so it shouldn't be too hard," he explained, making his own signs. When the smoke dissipated, I hardly recognized him. His hair was shorter and he had a plausible skin tone. His usually vivid golden eyes were dulled to a light brown and were only outlined in black. Even his clothes were altered and looked nothing like the uniform he had previously been wearing. I was a little jealous.

"Okay…so maybe I was wrong," I muttered and he smirked, taking the money from my hand.

"I'll be back soon," he replied, exiting. I let out a sigh, laying back.

What a day.

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_Review?_


	18. Chapter 18

_Well, to make up for my slowness, I stayed up really late to finish this. So. You're welcome? -laughs- Thanks to my reviewers, as always, I love you guys. Enjoy!_

_--_

**Teamwork –part 2 of 9–**

The next thing I could remember was being carried, the jagged steps of the leader jarring me awake. The sharp pain from being struck so hard jolted me into full consciousness.

"Oh look, our pretty kitten woke up," the leader sneered. Kitten? I struggled to get out of his grasp, barely managing it with my hands and feet already bound loosely by rope. I fell hard on the ground to the low chuckles of the remaining guards. I noticed one of the larger ones had Jiraiya slung over his shoulder. "Oh look, he still wants to play."

I jumped back to my feet, freeing my hands and ankles. The leader seemed impressed. Good. He motioned for me to come, and I lunged. I was blinded by adrenaline and hate so my attack was sloppy and he easily parried, and one of his thugs was there to hit me hard in the stomach. I doubled over, coughing hard, the taste of blood on my lips.

"Aww, you went and hurt him, you brute," the leader taunted, to which I hissed slightly. My diaphragm was still partially crushed so I stumbled back a few feet, trying to force air into my lungs. I could feel my energy slowly evaporating as I tried again to strike the bastard down. I met a similar end at another of his thug's fists. This time, it sent me flying.

As I struggled to get up again, the leader straddled my chest with his feet and leaned over so his face was closer to mine. "I know all you want to do is play, but we need to find you a home first, stray," he smirked as he stabbed my arm with a needle. I winced as the offending drug ran through my blood, making my limbs heavy as lead. I let out a small groan of frustration as I still fought to get up, but now the medicine was pulling my eyelids down. The last thing I saw before everything turned black was that bastard's cocky smirk.

I woke back up later on, my arms and legs bound more securely this time as I was carried. Knowing the drug was still affecting me; I remained motionless and took small peeks at the area around me through my eyelashes.

From what I could see, a large building loomed before us. If those bastards hadn't ambushed us, we could've easily found this place on our own. As we drew nearer to the door, I noticed guards of some sort blocking the entrance. I made a note of that to myself and let my eyes slip shut completely again as they looked over the bastard's "catch". Deciding it was fine, they let us through and we entered the building.

"My, _two_ ninja? You're getting better…" a new voice commented.

"Yes, the one I have here is better though. He put up a horrible fight against us. The other one you can put in the usual dudgeons, he wasn't anything special."

Now I was pissed. Sure, I didn't mind the compliment, but coming from them, it was a slap in the face. And they were bad mouthing my teammate. I felt the other man come closer to look at me.

"Male, right? He's rather pretty. And feisty you say…? He'll get quite the nice price."

Now I was being talked about like I was a prime cut of meat. I'd had enough. I still couldn't move very well, but I knew I could at least shout at them. I opened my eyes and took a breath to give them a few thoughts on their pathetic jobs. They all looked surprised and one thug slapped a hand over my mouth to keep me from speaking.

Bad idea, moron.

I sunk my unnaturally sharp teeth into his palm, biting harder than I ever had before. He howled in pain and ripped his hand out of my grip. The real leader let out a low whistle before having one of his attendants step forward.

"We had a feeling what ever you came back with might be a handful," he explained as I fought against the thug leader who held me tight as another filthy needle was shoved in my arm.

Damn it ALL.

There wasn't much I could do after that. Since I already had some of the stuff in my system, it took over quicker than the first time and I was out cold before I knew it.

It felt like a lot longer before I woke up again. This final time, however, I was being gripped gently against someone's chest. They were gently shaking me, trying to get me awake. I grudgingly opened my eyes, but any annoyance I held evaporated at the site of that unruly white hair.

Thank god.

"Can you stand?" he asked me, it was the most quiet I've ever heard him speak. I shrugged slightly, my limbs still holding that lead-like feel. "Let's try." He put one of my arms around his shoulders and pulled me up, his other hand holding me securely at the waist. I almost instantly felt lightheaded and was grateful he could easily support my weight.

"Jiraiya…where are we…?" I asked. I knew we were in the hideout, but I had no clue where in that huge building we could be.

"The hideout. We were captured so we need to get away and rethink our plans. Especially with you in the state you're in, we can't try to finish the mission right now." I nodded, already knowing most of his response, but I couldn't muster my usual sass.

"Do you know the way out?" I asked. If I saw the outside, I'd know where we were.

"Not exactly…but there's a window. We can get out that way," he replied. Just how stupid were these traders? They put their most prized piece in a room with an easy escape route? Honestly. Now if only I could walk on my own… He helped me over to the window and we both looked out. It was definitely the back. But I knew there were guards elsewhere.

"We'll have to go underground," I began, trying to put less weight on him. "There are guards in the front."

"Thanks for the warning," he answered, opening the window, letting me lean on the window ledge. Without much warning, he hoisted me onto his back. I was shocked into silence as he started on the way down. Maybe it was my heart beating furiously against my chest and getting fresh blood out to my limbs, but the drug was starting to lose its effects.

When we reached ground level, he stopped, "Okay, you said we have to go underground. How does that work exactly?"

"I'll take care of it. Lean over slightly so I don't have to grip you," I said and he did as I instructed, his hands taking a more firm hold on my legs to keep me steady. Ignoring the blush I knew rose to my face, I let go of him and wove the signs in front of his face. We slowly began to descend after that. "Don't be alarmed, we'll have plenty of room to move and breathe down there."

He remained silent, which was good, for he could've suffocated if he opened his mouth while we were going down. When we came to a stop, he still didn't move, and his grip on my legs hadn't lessened. As much as I liked the feeling of his hands holding me that tightly, it was growing painful.

"Are you going to walk or not?" I asked, slightly irritated. The grip loosened and I pointed ahead. "Just follow it. From my calculations we should resurface a good half mile away," I explained. At least I hoped so. It would be really annoying to have gone through all this just to pop up right in front of the door or something.

He started walking again after that and I let him carry me for a while. It was cold, and he was warm, why not share some heat for a bit? I wasn't sure if he noticed or not, but I rested my head on his shoulder, and was nearly lulled to sleep. That was until I realized if I slept, I would probably dream of something all together unclean, and then things would be awkward. Very awkward. Scowling slightly at my own predicted lack of self control, I spoke up.

"You do know they didn't break my legs, right?" I asked, letting my voice drip with sarcasm.

"So you want down?" he asked, slowing to a stop. Well. I'd prefer to stay here, but having that much body contact was making me feel a little lightheaded. Not something I needed when we were still in enemy territory.

"Yes," I answered simply and he let out a sigh, kneeling to let me down. I stumbled a little, trying to get the blood back into my legs. The drug was mostly gone by now.

"So um, once we're out of here, what are we going to do?" he asked. Shit. I hadn't thought that far. Just another reason for me to get off him. I was a fast thinker though, and replied.

"Well, for starters, we're going to find something to eat. They couldn't have complete control over this village, or we would've found out about that from that other freak we brought in. After that, we need to find a secure place to spend the night and plan our next move," I said. It was basic and crude, but it would do.

"If you're really ravenous right now, I managed to steal some bread while I was looking for you," he said, pulling it out of his pack. My stomach shouted in joy as he handed it to me. "Feel free to eat all of it. I ate half of it earlier," he added when I didn't automatically shove it down my throat.

"Are you sure? It may be a while before we get back to the village."

"Yeah, I'm fine, go ahead," he insisted. "Besides, you're the skinny one, you need it more." I frowned slightly, for the first time realizing that he did have a little more meat on him than I did. Not that that made him fat, I was just scrawny. Guess that would explain why he could pin me to a wall with one hand. Honestly.

We began our walk again and silence prevailed as I slowly ate the rest of the small loaf. I swallowed the last bit just as we reached the end of the tunnel.

"At least they didn't take away our winter clothing," I muttered, pulling out a pair of gloves that had remained in my pocket. We walked up into a twilit snowy setting.

"It's already sunset?" Jiraiya said, surprised.

"Yeah, but it sets at around five up here," I said glancing around to get my bearings. I must have still been unconscious during this part. "Well that's convenient," I said, pointing to a path. "It looks man-made, so hopefully it'll lead to the village."

"If it does, that must mean that they make frequent visits," Jiraiya pointed out, glancing back to see that it did lead back to the mansion.

"We'll just have to be careful then," I sighed. So much for things being easy. We followed the path back to the village, stopping short of it. "Since it's unclear whether these people are loyal to those idiots or not, we'll need to listen in on some conversations before we show ourselves. If we split up, we'll cover more ground. We'll meet back here in 20 minutes, all right?"

"Sounds good I guess, just be careful, okay?" he said. It wasn't like I _always_ got caught. What did he take me for, anyway?

"I will, and the same goes for you."

"Right. See you in twenty." With that we parted ways. I stayed to the shadows, slowly making my way through the town before finding a relatively popular food shop. My stomach reminded me that I hadn't eaten enough yet, but I ignored it for the time being. A group of women entered the shop, and I followed after them, keeping a low profile.

"Oh, I just love your new hairstyle, Ritsuko," one of the girls fawned.

"Thanks…I wasn't sure if going really short would look good or not."

"I just hope you aren't targeted…they single out more attractive individuals," another friend pointed out.

Bingo.

"Oh don't be silly, they won't go after us. We don't cause them any trouble, or tell on them, so why should they bother us?"

"Well yeah, but still. We can't trust those guys. They're selling sex slaves, after all," the second friend insisted in a hushed voice.

"It's not like I was promoting them…"

"You'd be shunned if you did."

"I wish they'd leave. I feel like a criminal just living here anymore."

"You're telling me."

Well now, that was interesting. I stayed in the store a while longer, it was warm and I didn't want to make it look like I was just stalking the girls. Besides, looking at the food was giving me ideas for dinner. That would have to wait though. I didn't have any money on me and we still needed somewhere to stay before we could eat.

Glancing outside, I noticed the sun was gone, so I headed back to our meeting point. When I got there, no one was there. I grew slightly wary. I knew it had to be at least twenty minutes by now…was he running late or did someth-

I didn't get a chance to finish my thought. My mind went blank as I was grabbed from behind, my arms pinned uselessly to my sides. I froze, my breath caught. "Didn't your friend tell you to be careful…?" an all too familiar voice purred, causing me to shiver for reasons other than the cold. I wasn't about to submit to him though…two could play at this game.

"Hmm…so he did. However, I told him the same," I replied in the same tone as I gently moved to get my leg hooked around his. I could have him grounded in a second if I had to. He sighed, and let me go.

"You're no fun."

I shrugged. There would be time for fun later. Right now we needed to focus. "Did you figure anything out?" I asked.

"Yeah, the people here only seem to obey their rules because then none of them will be taken hostage," he replied.

"I got the same. They also seemed rather bitter about their situation, because they feel they're only making the problem worse." If they weren't bitter about it, why would they shun someone who supported the bastards? And the criminal comment, well, that spoke for itself.

Jiraiya nodded, "Well that makes things a little easier. You didn't happen to find somewhere to stay, did you?"

I shook my head. "I think for safety's sake we should find somewhere that's deserted. No sense in bringing any attention to ourselves if it isn't necessary." Though an inn would be warm. Oh well.

"All right, we could start by looking around the edge of the village first," he commented beginning to head in that direction. "So when you say deserted…does it matter what kind of building it is?"

"For our sake's, it would be better if the place was small. If it was big, and we were found, an ambush would be far too easy to launch."

"Hmm, that makes sense." From there on, we stayed quiet. We drew less attention that way. I was grateful to the night coming quicker, it meant lights being turned on earlier and as a result, we could quickly rule out most places. If there weren't lights on, we checked the windows to see if anyone was living there and was just out.

We finally found something suitable: a small cottage that was definitely deserted. Snow drifted around it and remained untouched, so no one had been there in a while. We walked carefully on top of the snow, leaving as few footprints as possible. The door wasn't locked, but had to be forced open, due to the cold. When we got inside we saw that everything was covered in dust.

"There probably isn't heating…" I sighed, rubbing my arms as another shiver attacked my body. "At least I can steal body heat from you…" I added, walking off. I felt a little embarrassed when he didn't say anything to that, but shrugged it off. I knew he liked me, so there was nothing to worry about. As I rounded the corner, I came across the one bedroom in the house. "We're in some luck," I said. By then, Jiraiya had caught up with me and peered over my shoulder as I pointed to the bed in the center of the room. It still even had the sheets on it.

Exhaustion was finally kicking in and I walked over to the bed, sitting down, "I wish I had brought some food," I sighed.

"They probably would've just confiscated it anyway."

"True."

"I'll go find us something to eat. They didn't find the money I hid in the soles of my shoes," he offered, sitting down beside me to retrieve it.

"Disguise yourself. Those bastards have probably found out by now that we escaped." I was surprised I hadn't run into any of them in the town.

He nodded and got back to his feet, weaving the appropriate hand signs. "Is this good?" Not much had really changed. Either he was just as tired as me, or he hadn't gotten any better at the jutsu.

"…maybe I should go. White hair is hard to forget," I said lightly as I rose to my feet.

"And white _skin_ isn't?" He had a point.

"I can change that. Everyone's pale here, so it shouldn't be too hard," I said, making the signs. When the smoke cleared, his expression held jealousy and surprise.

"Okay…so maybe I was wrong," he muttered and I smirked, relieving him of his money.

"I'll be back soon," I said, heading back to the entrance.

As I stepped back out into the cold wind, I half wanted to go back and have him go in my place. But I kept going, knowing that he would be caught for sure with that pathetic transformation.

Oh well.

I'd make him repay the heat I lost later.

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_Review?_


	19. Chapter 19

_It's been a while, eh? I just couldn't find the right inspiration to write a halfway decent chapter but now that I have, I shall upload both povs at once. Sorry again for the delay. To my reviewers, I appreciate your patience with me. -sheepish smile- Enjoy!_

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**Teamwork – part 10 –**

I let out a sigh as I waited for him to return. The day had been way too crazy. Tomorrow wasn't going to be any better, either. Though…for the next few hours, it would be low key… Provided I could convince Mr. Workaholic of that. Brushing the day aside, I smirked, beginning to scheme ways to get him to relax.

I started by cleaning up the room, knowing he was a perfectionist in pretty much every way. While I cleaned, I found a few candles stashed away along with a few matches. Perfect. I set them on the nightstand and sat back down.

The rest of the time I was mostly in a daze, falling in and out of sleep as random ideas flashed through my head. It wasn't until I heard him padding quietly down the hall that I fully woke back up.

"You were sleeping, weren't you," he stated accusingly, a few flakes of snow still clinging to his now normal length black hair. I grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry. So what did you get?" I asked. I couldn't really help falling asleep…having an empty stomach made me tired.

"I didn't want to waste all of your money, so I got the essentials," he said placing the bag on the bed. I peered inside, finding a loaf of bread, some meat and cheese and a few bottles of water.

I shrugged, "It'll do. We should only be here another day or so anyway," I said confidently.

"I hope so. You were in the basement…what is it like down there?" he asked, beginning to cut pieces of the bread with his pocket knife. Unlike my bag, they had left his alone, aside from the money, so he retained all of his tools.

"Pretty similar to the other place, just more hallways," I said. "There's bound to be a lot of guards we'll have to carve our way through."

"Mmm, yeah. But it'll be an ambush, so it shouldn't be too hard. And if we fight them inside, they'll be forced into only small groups at a time. The hallways can't be too wide," he added, handing me a sandwich before making his own.

"Good point," I said before taking a bite. I hadn't thought of it that way, but it definitely made sense. Once we got inside, we could lead them to a tighter hallway and hack away at them until we were finished with them. Even if they came from both sides, we would still be fine, since both of us would be there. It definitely sounded simple enough.

Silence fell over us then, both of us half starved; we didn't waste time speaking as we filled our needy stomachs. It didn't take long to finish off half the food he bought.

"I have to admit, you know how to pick out food," I said, leaning back.

"You flatter me," he remarked, putting the remaining food away. I watched him carefully before turning over and grabbing the matches, lighting the candles. He glanced back, mild surprise in his features. "Where did you get those?"

"I found them," I grinned back. "You like it?" He nodded, seeming slightly entranced by it. Taking that as my cue, I slowly drew closer to him. He didn't draw back, to my surprise, but that shy blush came to his face again. I gently ran a hand through his hair. He didn't even flinch, if anything, he relaxed more.

That's what you call _skill_.

I rested my hand on the back of his neck and brought our lips together.

Maybe I was wrong. It certainly didn't seem like I was going to need to convince him of anything. He leaned into the kiss, pushing me back slightly. Well, if he wanted down, I wasn't about to deny him that.

I gently brought him down with me. By that point we both needed to breathe and we broke apart for a moment, trying to catch our breath.

"And here I thought the other night was a fluke…" I teased, brushing his dark hair to one side.

"As did I," he smirked, closing the space between us again. Apparently another of his hungers wasn't sated quite yet.

Not that I minded.

Leaving his neck unattended, I let my hand wander down his back. It arched the lower I got, so I slowed until he relaxed again. With my other hand I worked on taking his vest – and mine, for that matter – off. They were already getting in the way. I was surprised he didn't swat my hand away when I brushed it off his shoulders. With them gone, he drew closer to me; a small shiver caused his body to tremble. Keeping one hand on the small of his back, I let the other wander up underneath his shirt. Now he froze.

"Not here…" he murmured, gently pulling away from me. I sighed. This really _wasn't_ the place for it, but he didn't seem like he minded until that moment…

"Sorry…" I mumbled, pulling him back for heat's sake. He didn't protest to that at least.

"I thought you had tact, or at least you said you did," he teased, resting his head on my shoulder.

"_You_ were the one that pushed _me_ down," I countered, gently running a hand up and down his back. He must have enjoyed that because his next reply wasn't as snarky as the last.

"Mmm, yeah, I guess I did, didn't I?" he chuckled lightly. "You didn't have to help pull me down though," he smirked.

"Yeah, yeah…just be quiet and get some sleep."

"Yes _master_," he mocked, closing his eyes. Despite the pressure we were under, we both fell asleep almost instantly. It didn't last as long as I would've liked. Apparently Orochimaru felt too paranoid to sleep long. He woke me up a few hours later. It was still dusky outside.

"What's with the early roll call…?" I complained quietly, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, fighting off a shiver. It really was cold, especially when I didn't have him breathing his nicely warm breath on my neck.

"What do you think? The sooner we attack, the less problems we'll face. It's bound to be nearing the end of the night shift, so any guards on duty won't be at their sharpest. Plus we still have darkness on our side. At least for another half hour or so. So eat up, I want to be out of here in 15 minutes, okay?" I scowled at him as I grudgingly took my breakfast from him. He frowned slightly, and leaned in, dropping his voice to a husky whisper, "Cheer up, would you? The sooner this madness is over with, the sooner you can have your idea of 'fun', right…?"

I blinked.

He pulled back, a satisfied smirk on his lips. Damn. I'm losing my touch if he's the one doing the teasing now. I rolled my shoulders back, showing I wasn't going to complain anymore.

There was no way in hell I was going to be the 'bitch', after all. Jeeze. Where did my control run away to…?

"Just what kind of 'fun'…?" I asked as we ate. He raised an eyebrow, his expression slightly exasperated.

"The kind you enjoy writing about, of course."

"You make it sound like it's a chore," I sighed. He was, now that I thought about it. Like it was a bribe, and I was a fussy child. He shook his head.

"I'm nervous," he mumbled, his eyes downcast.

"About…?"

"This mission…and what lies after it."

"Why? You're skilled, with the mission I mean." He gave a wry smile. "You lead with the 'important' stuff, I'll lead with the 'stupid' stuff, so don't worry about it." He snorted. "What? Do you just not talk anymore?"

"I do…it's just that you make everything sound so simple and easy."

"Because it is, idiot. It's not like you to be nervous, so stop freaking me out," I scolded. "We'll be _fine_, so just relax. I know from experience that things go bad when you're scared. So just go back to being the cocky bastard that I know you to be. You kick way more ass that way." He actually laughed at that.

"Is that so? And what if I choose to continue to be a cocky bastard when we're done with this, hmm?" he asked, poking me teasingly on the forehead.

"I'm sure I know of a few tricks that will _melt_ that away in a matter of seconds," I stated matter-of-factly. He smiled.

"Sounds like you're challenging me, dear."

"I am."

"Good. Are you ready?" he asked, pulling his vest back on, the bag our food was in wadded into a tight ball in his fist.

"Always," I grinned, zipping my vest up and pulling my gloves on. With that, we cleaned up any remaining mess and snuck outside. Pink was just barely making the horizon blush. On our way back, we ditched our trash and followed the path back to the mansion. Orochimaru stopped short. "Something wrong…?" I asked a little worried.

"You should put your invisibility jutsu in place," he pointed out.

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine, especially if I have unseen back-up."

"Gotcha." I put the jutsu in place and shadowed his stealthy steps. I paused while he scoped the area, counting the guards.

"There's at least six, and they're not in close range of each other…" he muttered. I looked to where he was indicating. There were two on either side of the double doors, and two more on both sides about 30 meters apart. That would be tricky. Especially when the cover of trees stopped 100 meters from the mansion.

"Underground…?" I suggested. He nodded slightly, clearly thinking.

"How about this, you make two clones, I make two. We get rid of the far ones with them and deal with the ones flanking the door with our real selves."

"Makes sense to me." He nodded again and motioned me closer.

"Just hold on to me and you'll go under too," he explained and as I grasped his shoulder, he started making the signs. Once underground, we made our clones and headed for our spots.

The first part went smoothly, and with a fresh ring of keys, we slipped inside.

Everything was dark, the lights dimmed to the lowest settings. Guess he was right about attacking early. Everyone was still in bed. Orochimaru did look a little lost though, now that we were inside. I stepped up, my jutsu dropped so I could lead the way. Everything looked the same in mansions, so I'd find a staircase up sooner or later. The boss would definitely be on the top floor.

We made our way around silently, slowly ascending levels. We finally reached the top floor. Since this far up it was only a small square we slowly followed the hallway, looking for the obvious double doors that would lead to a leader's posh room. We eventually found them…and an obstacle.

A lone figure stood outside the room, leaning casually against the wall. He glanced our way, violet eyes glinting in the dim light. He flicked his head slightly, tossing the stray light brown, almost blonde, bangs out of his face as he assessed us.

"Well, well, look who's back. Isn't it rude to visit at such an early hour…?" he taunted, standing up straight to face us.

"You…!" Orochimaru hissed. He knew him…? I glanced confused at Orochimaru's livid features to the smug features of the man before us.

"Ahh…so my kitten remembers me. I'm flattered. Bet you didn't think you'd find me again so soon, hmm? It's a shame most of my men are asleep, or I'd let them deal with you. Guess I'll have to."

A low growl escaped Orochimaru's throat and as he lunged, I grabbed his arm, yanking him back.

"Why did you stop me?" he demanded, his eyes furious.

"Easy, he was taunting you, and you were about to fall right back into his trap," I said, keeping my eyes on the bastard, who smiled, putting his hands up as if he were guilty.

"Looks like your lover is smarter than you, kitten." Orochimaru snarled again, and pulled on my grip.

"Shut your trap, filth. Just who are you to talk to us like that? You're just a pawn yourself!" I spat. He was starting to piss me off too. It was becoming tempting to let go of Orochimaru and watch him tear that moron to shreds. He simply smirked again, chuckling slightly.

"You don't get it, do you? This is a partner deal. I'm just as much of a leader as my partner in here," he jabbed a finger towards the doors to his right. "I'm just the fighter of the operation, he's the brains. I think you'd remember him as well if you saw him, kitten."

"Perfect. So he'll know all that you do. Absolutely wonderful. Means I can rip your throat out and not cause Sensei any problems," Orochimaru remarked, finally regaining his composure, but I could tell the 'kitten' name drove him nuts.

"If you've got the claws to. I recall you losing very easily to me before," the leader sneered.

"That was then. This is now." I knew then that it was the right time to let go. Orochimaru was gone in a flash. For now, all I could do was watch. If he needed back up, I could easily give it to him. To my surprise, they broke into taijutsu fight, something Orochimaru normally didn't do. Not that he was bad at it. With as limber as he was, he could dodge just about anything.

It seemed like Orochimaru was pushing him back and that was when he vanished. I stiffened. He was after me, I knew it.

I just barely managed to dodge a jab to the jugular. I retaliated with a kick, forcing him to jump back as well.

"Ah, so you can fight too. Good, I was worried you were here just to keep him in line." I smirked and ducked, sensing a series of kunai coming in that direction. The leader's eyes widened and he jumped, but not quite quickly enough, the kunai still managing to graze his legs and arms.

"You may have prevailed against me when I was at half strength, but when I'm fully conscious and Jiraiya's around, you're screwed," Orochimaru commented idly, having appeared behind him, a kunai at his throat. "What do you say _pup_, do you give?"

A low chuckle came from behind me. "You lied to them again, didn't you, Yousuke?" I whipped around, just in time to miss a flurry of punches.

The one called Yousuke, in Orochimaru's grasp, let out a low growl. "I don't need your help with these two, Keisuke…"

"Really. Seems like you do," Keisuke answered, and began his attack anew. From there, I fought him, and somehow that Yousuke character got out of Orochimaru's hold, so they continued to fight.

At least we weren't disappointed in our opponents; they were definitely more skilled than their thug underlings. There were a few times I heard Orochimaru let out a yelp of pain, but I couldn't risk looking over; the other guy had me on my toes. One wrong move and I could be out cold. Even with as much concentration I was putting into the fight, the bastard still managed to land a few blows.

I didn't notice it, but as we fought, they slowly led us around the room so that my back was to Orochimaru, and his to mine. All I saw was a slight nod before Keisuke completely changed his attack, ramming me back. Apparently, Yousuke had done the same, and as a result, they sent us flying at each other.

Always one step ahead, Orochimaru managed to twist himself in such a way that allowed him to use me as a platform of sorts before he launched off of me towards a shocked Keisuke. Sensing this was our chance; I made a quick recovery and aimed to knock Yousuke out.

I succeeded, and he dropped at my feet. As a precaution, I pulled out tranquilizer that Orochimaru had given me while we walked this morning. With him definitely out now, I stood up, to see Orochimaru reach a similar result.

"Looks like our teamwork is better than theirs," he smirked.

"Well duh. Like anyone would ever beat us when we're working together," I grinned. His smirk softened for a split second before he dug out a scroll. Biting his thumb, he quickly scribbled something on the scroll. "What's that?"

"A faster way of getting in contact with the Anbu," he replied, looking up as a squad or two broke through the windows at the end of the hall. I blinked. That _was_ fast.

They quickly swarmed the unconscious forms of the leaders of this ridiculous charade. The thing that was really weird about them was that they weren't very old. Early 30's at the oldest. That freaked me out. Once they confirmed they were going to be unconscious for a while, the squad broke up, some searching the leader's room, some rushing past us towards the rest of the mansion. Good, they can do the clean up for a change. One approached us.

"The others are fishing out any other fighters and will be working on freeing the civilians they captured. You two may leave. We've got it from here."

Orochimaru nodded, "Understood." With that, we made our way out; witnessing a few minor battles as Anbu quickly took care of any other thugs present.

It was just breaking dawn as we reached the village.

"So. I do believe you have some explaining to do, snake-boy," I spoke up. He glanced over, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"You could've told me there were Anbu just waiting to come to our rescue sooner!"

"Well, to be honest, that scroll I used was given to me last minute. Sensei believed in us, sure, but he wasn't about to send us to the wolves without any back up. I was on my way to the gate when an Anbu stopped me, handing me that scroll. He explained that two squads had already been sent to the land of Snow, and that they would assist us when we were finished."

"So what you're saying is that Sensei wanted us to do the dirty work, and they were the clean up committee once things were done?" I asked, knowing my face held some disgust among the shock.

"Basically. I didn't want to tell you because as I can clearly see now, it would have irritated you just as much as it did me when I found out. Besides, you needed to learn you could do stuff on your own. That was half the reason why Sensei sent the two of us on this mission in the first place."

I grit my teeth, "I'm not a genin…so why is he still babying me?" I muttered.

"Because you get lazy when you know there's someone to save your skin. He wanted you to actually work for once, to make sure you could actually live up to being called a jounin." Orochimaru remarked.

Wait.

I was being _promoted_?

"Don't look so surprised, you knew it was only a matter of time until it happened." He was smiling now.

"You knew this entire time, didn't you," I sighed.

"Well, not _entirely_, but I was pretty sure of it. Sensei likes to drop hints he knows I'll pick up on in my presence."

"Like what?"

"Naturally I complained when he told me about this mission, but he insisted that it was important that _we_ do it. You normally do jounin level work with another jounin before you become one, surely you knew that much? I figured that was what it was, and it still annoyed me. I thought I would be babysitting, but I guess you are ready to be a jounin too."

"You sure know how to give a compliment," I remarked and he laughed. Jounin…it was about damn time. Jeeze. I thought about that for a while, wondering how much things would change and suddenly we were at the port again, our boat still intact, waiting for us.

"I had hoped they wouldn't be complete asses and burn our ship. Looks like that hope paid off," Orochimaru commented, jumping onboard. I followed in suit, a grin slowly creeping onto my features. He sighed when he saw it, rolling his eyes before preparing to leave.

I couldn't wait to get back to Konoha.

--

_Review?_


	20. Chapter 20

**Teamwork –part 2 of 10–**

As my fingers slowly went numb even through the gloves I finally neared a store that didn't look horribly crowded, or overpriced. I walked in, a small bell at the top of the door marking my entrance. A tired clerk glanced up, gave me the look down and went back to reading the magazine in front of her. Perfect. Not only did I fit the profile, I also didn't scream thief. That's always helpful.

The first thing I looked for was bread. You didn't have to cook it, and it was still edible, even if it goes stale. I put a moderately sized loaf in my basket and continued on. Water would be the next necessity. Tossing a few bottles in and I was off to something that would at least taste good on bread. Two more simple items, dried meat and cheese, they both kept good, and with no heat, I wouldn't exactly have to worry about anything spoiling anyway.

Finished, I walked to the counter. The clerk looked up again from her magazine and seeing that I was ready left it to tend to the register. As I had thought, it didn't come to much. I gave her the necessary coins and she gave the change. Simple as that.

I walked back outside and coughed as my lungs adjusted to the cold air. Of course, the horrible white fluff was still falling to the ground, as if to merely mock me. Fighting off a shiver, I made my way back to our makeshift hideout, trying to attract as little attention as possible. Luckily we had chosen a less traveled area, and as I result I didn't meet anyone on my way.

When I finally did reach our hideaway, I had to force the door open again, as it froze shut once more. Kicking the excess snow off of my boots, I walked inside quietly, my disguise dissipating as I walked. Knowing my ever resourceful teammate, he would probably be asleep. Bastard.

As I rounded the corner to our room, I saw him sit up, his expression clearly that of someone just woken up.

"You were sleeping, weren't you," I stated, resting my weight on one leg as he grinned back at me sheepishly. He certainly did know how to disarm me…would I ever be able to look at that grin without having a surge of heat flood my body? Well, at least it was convenient in this cold.

"Sorry. So what did you get?" he asked, leaning on his hands, reminding me of a puppy that was ready for dinner.

"I didn't want to waste all of your money, so I got the essentials," I replied, setting the bag down on the bed before shaking my hair out to get the offending icy flakes out of it. With that finished, I dug in my bag to get my knife.

"It'll do, we should only be here for another day or so anyway." Cocky as ever.

"I hope so. You were in the basement…what is it like down there?" I asked, sitting down as I took the bread in one hand and began cutting slices.

"Pretty similar to the other place, just more hallways, and," he explained, "there's bound to be a lot of guards we'll have to carve our way through." Logical thinking? Good boy.

"Mmm, yeah. But it'll be an ambush, so it shouldn't be too hard. And if we fight them inside, they'll be forced into only small groups at a time. The hallways can't be too wide," I added, handing him a finished sandwich before working on my own. He accepted it gratefully.

"Good point," he said before taking a bite. He remained silent as he ate and I stayed quiet as well. A few sandwiches later he broke the silent spell. "I have to admit, you know how to pick out food." I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. No, you were just starved I wanted to retort, but I kept it to myself.

"You flatter me," I remarked instead while I put what remained away. As I set it down beside the bed a familiar orange glow met the corners of my vision. Fire? I panicked for a split second before looking up to find a few candles freshly lit. "Where did you get those?"

"I found them," he grinned, "You like it?" I simply nodded in response, not quite trusting my voice yet. How did he know I liked candles? I didn't get much time to ponder that as he slowly drew closer. My heart decided that was a good reason to beat faster and I felt my face grow warm. When he ran a hand through my hair, I let myself fall victim to my dear old friend, the stupid feeling. Surely I could afford one moment of weakness on this mission…?

Any further thoughts on the matter were drowned out when he closed the space between us. I thought it had been amazing the other night. Maybe it was just the cold, but it felt better than before. Enough to make my inexperienced self try something. I gently nudged forward and I felt a small smile in the kiss as he helped me by leaning back until his head reached the pillow.

I gently pulled back then, needing some air. He did as well, but it didn't keep him from teasing me.

"And here I thought the other night was a fluke…" he remarked, brushing my hair to one side, his casual touch sending another wave of heat through me.

"As did I," I smirked. I didn't want to seem as pathetic as the first night, so I resumed our kiss. I was still losing the race, however, for as his hand slowly slid down my back, it arched in response until I forced it to relax. Honestly. I almost didn't even notice that he was taking off my vest. Eh, it could go. No harm there… He ditched his shortly after and I closed the gap quickly, fighting off a shiver. It wasn't until a hand began to wander underneath my shirt that I decided it was going a little far for the situation.

"Not here…" I whispered, gently pulling back, though I sorely missed the warmth.

"Sorry…" he mumbled and pulled me back. If his hands could play nice, I wouldn't have a problem with that.

"I thought you had tact, or at least you said you did," I teased, resting my head on his shoulder, taking a deep breath, letting it out in a low whoosh of air.

"_You_ were the one that pushed_ me_ down," he insisted as he stroked my back. Again with the disarming… I resisted a content whimper.

"Mmm, yeah, I guess I did, didn't I?" I chuckled, needing to get something out. "You didn't have to help pull me down though."

"Yeah, yeah…just be quiet and get some sleep."

"Yes _master_," I teased again, closing my eyes. I couldn't even imagine how horrible this night would've been if we weren't close. We both would've frozen to death. Despite how comfortably warm I was, I didn't sleep long. I didn't want to sleep in anyway, so I guess it was a blessing that one part of me got cold enough to wake me early the next morning. And by early I mean before dawn.

It wasn't too hard to wake Jiraiya, surprisingly enough. All I had to do was sit up, and he almost instantly stirred. Probably from heat loss.

"What's with the early roll call…?" he whined, rubbing his eyes, shivering slightly. I quickly adverted my eyes, keeping my thoughts in order.

"What do you think? The sooner we attack, the less problems we'll face. It's bound to be nearing the end of the night shift, so any guards on duty won't be at their sharpest. Plus we still have darkness on our side. At least for another half hour or so. So eat up, I want to be out of here in 15 minutes, okay?" I explained while I made up two morning sandwiches. He took his with a scowl.

Honestly. He hasn't grown up a bit…

I held back a sigh and leaned next to him, my lips nearly brushing his ear as I whispered, "Cheer up, would you? The sooner this madness is over with, the sooner you can have your idea of 'fun', right…?" He didn't reply, but simply blinked, as if I had stunned him. Perfect. I pulled back, feeling a little smug as I began my breakfast.

"Just what kind of 'fun'…?" he asked a few moments later.

Did he seriously just ask me that?

I raised an eyebrow, giving him a look that said, are you stupid?

"The kind you enjoy writing about, of course," I answered simply, not wanting to go into the details, though I'm sure he would've enjoyed that.

"You make it sound like it's a chore," he sighed. That sent an uncomfortable pang through me. Was that the way it was coming out? I would've thought he'd know I'd be uncomfortable talking casually about such a thing…

"I'm nervous," I managed to reply. It was the truth after all. I'd never been so close to someone before, and it was unnerving, losing control like that, no matter how nice it felt. And during _it_, I'm sure that lack of control would be an extended period of time. It wasn't like I was dreading it or something…I was just…scared.

"About…?" he probed.

"This mission…and what lies after it." I still couldn't say it. Pathetic.

"Why? You're skilled, with the mission I mean." I smiled dryly at that. "You lead with the 'important' stuff, I'll lead with the 'stupid' stuff, so don't worry about it." I snorted. He even used the same word for it as I had! "What? Do you just not talk anymore?"

"I do…it's just that you make everything sound so simple and easy." Like it was a fucking walk in the park. Oh, pun. I smiled slightly to myself.

"Because it is, idiot. It's not like you to be nervous, so stop freaking me out. We'll be _fine_, so just relax. I know from experience that things go bad when you're scared. So just go back to being the cocky bastard that I know you to be. You kick way more ass that way." I couldn't help but laugh. Did he intentionally put double meanings behind everything he said? Or was that a coincidence?

"Is that so? And what if I choose to continue to be a cocky bastard when we're done with this, hmm?" I taunted, poking him on the forehead. That, of course, was all talk. I had no idea what I was doing with him when we were alone.

"I'm sure I know of a few tricks that will _melt_ that away in a matter of seconds," he remarked. I was positive he did, so I smiled, continuing to play along.

"Sounds like you're challenging me, dear."

"I am." The look in his grey eyes sent a chill through me that had nothing to do with the subzero temperature.

"Good. Are you ready?" I asked, distracting myself by putting my vest back on. I wadded the bag our food had carried so I could throw it away. I'd already put my gloves on, so I was ready.

"Always," he replied, that grin back on his face as he put his vest and gloves on as well. After straightening our room up, we left. The eastern horizon was just beginning to lighten. That was one thing we had on our side here. The sun rose later, not that it felt like we slept much anyway. Along the way, I ditched our trash and started planning how we were going to do this. I stopped, that would definitely be the best first step. "Something wrong?" he asked, worry in his features.

"You should put your invisibility jutsu in place," I instructed.

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine, especially if I have unseen back-up."

"Gotcha." After a few handsigns, he disappeared. Trusting that he was still following me, I kept going and paused when the forest began to grow sparse.

Counting the guards, I frowned. Lovely.

"There's at least six, and they're not in close range of each other..." I muttered. Could nothing just be easy on this stupid mission?

"Underground...?" he suggested. I nodded slowly, thinking it through. That could very well be our best bet.

"How about this, I make two clones, you make two. We get rid of the far ones with them and deal with the ones flanking the door with our real selves."

"Makes sense to me." I nodded and beckoned him closer.

"Just hold on to me and you'll go under too," I said. As soon as I felt his hand on my shoulder, I made the signs. We wasted no time making our clones as soon as we finished moving. As I predicted, the guards were nearly in REM sleep, so we made easy work of them.

Armed with a ring of keys that would no doubt give us access to anywhere in the behemoth building, we entered.

I recognized the entrance hall, but beyond that, I was clueless. Especially in the dark, I wouldn't have a clue where to go. Jiraiya must have guessed that when I stopped, glancing around. He walked past me, and I followed him. He knew his way around here better than me, so all I could do was follow. A little frustrating, but I didn't have much of a choice.

Grateful to the carpeting, we made our way silently, until we reached the top floor. The building had slimmed down as we ascended, making the top floor only a small square to search. Our steps had grown faster in our anticipation of finding the lead rat of this stupid charade. It didn't take too long to find the doors that would clearly lead to an arrogant commander's room, but there was a slight hitch.

The lone figure looked up when we rounded the corner. I knew who it was before he even opened his foul mouth.

"Well, well, look who's back. Isn't it rude to visit at such an early hour...?" he taunted, leaving his casual pose against the wall to face us properly.

"You...!" I hissed. His smirk merely widened.

"Ahh...so my kitten remembers me. I'm flattered. Bet you didn't think you'd find me again so soon, hmm? It's a shame most of my men are asleep, or I'd let them deal with you. Guess I'll have to."

That was it. I'd had it with his arrogance!

Just as I lunged at the bastard, Jiraiya grabbed my arm, pulling me back. He'd better have a good reason to stop me from ripping that bastard's throat out.

"Why did you stop me?" I demanded, knowing my eyes and tone were probably harsher than they needed to be.

"Easy, he was taunting you, and you were about to fall right back into his trap," he replied calmly, glaring at the culprit.

"Looks like your lover is smarter than you, kitten." God damn him! Jiraiya tightened his grip on my arm, keeping me from charging again. I know I'd probably be grateful to that later, but right now, it was just pissing me off.

"Shut your trap, filth. Just who are you to talk to us like that? You're just a pawn yourself!" Jiraiya retorted. Apparently I wasn't the only one pissed off anymore. About fucking time.

"You don't get it, do you? This is a partner deal. I'm just as much of a leader as my partner in here," he pointed to the doors, a scowl on his face now, "I'm just the fighter of the operation, he's the brains. I think you'd remember him as well if you saw him, kitten." I grit my teeth, trying to keep my temper in line.

"Perfect. So he'll know all that you do. Absolutely wonderful. Means I can rip your throat out and not cause Sensei any problems," I murmured acidly.

"If you've got the claws to. I recall you losing very easily to me before," he smirked.

"That was then. This is now." This time, when I lunged, I was free to do so. Even Jiraiya knew when it would be stupid to keep me from attacking. First things first, I needed to beat that bastard's face in. I pulled back, infusing some chakra into my fist to make it actually hurt. I wasn't as good as a certain blonde, but I could still leave a mark when I wanted to.

I didn't manage a full on hit, but I grazed his chest, forcing him back. It wasn't usually my style to fight with taijutsu, but that's what the fight turned into. As quickly as I moved, I was still having some difficulty hitting him. I did manage to land some hits and it got to the point where I was completely moving him back. That was when he vanished.

I whipped around, just barely in time to see the bastard try to make a hit on Jiraiya. Luckily my usually moronic teammate had been paying attention and dodged the blow before kicking out at the bastard.

"Ah, so you can fight too. Good, I was worried you were here just to keep him in line." Fool. While he was busy trying to sound superior, I launched kunai at him. Luckily Jiraiya guessed I would and dropped down to keep from being hit.

It wasn't a complete hit, but I did manage to graze him, at the very least. While he was distracted I moved to where he was headed to land on the floor. "You may have prevailed against me when I was at half strength, but when I'm fully conscious and Jiraiya's around, you're screwed," I said smoothly, pressing the kunai's blade tightly against his throat, "What do you say _pup_, do you give?"

A low chuckle distracted me for a moment. My glare shot up to its source, "You lied to them again, didn't you, Yousuke?" I kept my grip on the bastard apparently called Yousuke, watching as Jiraiya defended himself against the newcomer.

"I don't need your help with these two, Keisuke…" the moron under me growled.

"Really. Seems like you do," Keisuke remarked before launching a fresh attack on Jiraiya. Try as I may, the bastard managed to throw me off of him. Landing hard, I sprang up as quickly as I could, our battle restarting.

I kept my movements quick, feinting to the sides, managing a few hits before I was forced back. He grabbed at my hair once and I let out a pathetic yelp as he yanked, dragging before throwing me again. He apparently didn't like close combat.

I didn't even notice until a split second before it happened. I saw the flicker of change in Yousuke's eyes before he changed his style and charged me. I had bad footing from a recent pull back and he easily knocked me off my feet, sending me flying. I managed, somehow, to hear Jiraiya grunt in protest. I twisted, catching his shoulders before twisting in a different direction and pushing off of him. I didn't care if I offended him, since my quick reaction caught them off guard.

I hit Keisuke hard in the throat, knocking him to the ground beneath me. He seemed unconscious, but I jabbed a tranquilizer into his arm just in case he wasn't. I smirked. It was satisfying to repay them with their own techniques.

With that finished, I rose to my feet, dusting myself off lightly. No major injuries, good. I glanced over finding Jiraiya had done the same as me. My smirk widened slightly.

"Looks like our teamwork is better than theirs."

"Well duh. Like anyone would ever beat us when we're working together," he grinned. As stupid as it sounds, that sent a small tremor through me. I shook it off, keeping my mind focused. I figured this would be a good time to inform them it was their turn to play clean up.

I dug the scroll out of my pack, unfurling it before biting my thumb. With the blood, I quickly scribbled the necessary words.

"What's that?" Jiraiya asked, curious. He looked over my shoulder.

Any second now, "A faster way of getting in contact with the Anbu," I answered. Sure enough, not a second after I finished speaking, they crashed through the windows at the end of the hall. Show-offs.

They made quick work of checking the leaders before splitting up. One made their way toward us. "The others are fishing out any other fighters and will be working on freeing the civilians they captured. You two may leave. We've got it from here."

I nodded, "Understood." We make our quick exit after that, passing a few short lived battles on our way.

The sun had finally come up when we reached the entrance to the village.

"So. I do believe you have some explaining to do, snake-boy," Jiraiya remarked. I yanked out of my thoughts, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"You could've told me there were Anbu just waiting to come to our rescue sooner!" Oh. That.

"Well, to be honest, that scroll I used was given to me last minute. Sensei believed in us, sure, but he wasn't about to send us to the wolves without any back up. I was on my way to the gate when an Anbu stopped me, handing me that scroll. He explained that two squads had already been sent to the land of Snow, and that they would assist us when we were finished."

"So what you're saying is that Sensei wanted us to do the dirty work, and they were the clean up committee once things were done?" he asked, incredulous.

"Basically. I didn't want to tell you because as I can clearly see now, it would have irritated you just as much as it did me when I found out. Besides, you needed to learn you could do stuff on your own. That was half the reason why Sensei sent the two of us on this mission in the first place." It was mostly the truth. He'd distracted me too much for me to remember to tell him. Oh well…no harm, right?

I could tell he still wasn't placated. "I'm not a genin…so why is he still babying me?" he muttered.

"Because you get lazy when you know there's someone to save your skin. He wanted you to actually work for once, to make sure you could actually live up to being called a jounin," I explained. It was supposed to be a surprise…but there was no way I was spending a boat trip with him sulking the entire way. Realization slowly dawned on his face, a shocked grin spreading across his features. I couldn't help but smile in return. "Don't look so surprised, you knew it was only a matter of time until it happened."

"You knew this entire time, didn't you," he sighed.

"Well, not _entirely_, but I was pretty sure of it. Sensei likes to drop hints he knows I'll pick up on in my presence."

"Like what?" It seemed I'd have to explain everything.

"Naturally I complained when he told me about this mission, but he insisted that it was important that _we_ do it. You normally do jounin work with another jounin before you become one, surely you knew that much? I figured that was what it was, and it still annoyed me. I thought I would be babysitting, but I guess you are ready to be a jounin too."

"You sure know how to give a compliment," he muttered, and I laughed. Given his track record, how was I to expect anything else? I was just glad he'd pulled through. Or I'd probably be in some slave show by now.

It didn't take us long to reach the port, and luck was with us. Our boat wasn't harmed, waiting on the water where we'd left it.

"I had hoped they wouldn't be complete asses and burn our ship. Looks like that hope paid off," I murmured, jumping onboard, landing with a light thud. He followed quickly after, a smug grin beginning to form on his face. I sighed, maybe sulking _would_ have been better.

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_Review?_


	21. Chapter 21

_Well this isn't too late. A little over a month later than the last update. I think I like the idea of uploading both povs at once, it seems more clear that way. So I'm going to stick with that idea. Updates may be a tad slower due to that, but its less confusing when they're put together, no? As always, thanks goes out to my reviewers. Enjoy!_

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Teamwork –part 11–

It didn't take us long before we were back on the water, on our way home. Of course, my giddiness helped speed up our preparations. I still couldn't believe it. I was _finally_ becoming a jounin. Now Orochimaru couldn't hold it over me anymore. I'd reminded him at least three times of that before he finally snapped, storming off into the cabin.

Whoops.

I decided to give him his space to cool down. An angry Orochimaru was not fun to be around. So I stayed at the helm, humming lightly to myself, enjoying the view while my teammate fumed quietly by himself. It was peaceful out on the water. I was still jittery with excitement.

It slowly dwindled when the hours began to pass, and still no return of Orochimaru. A small frown came to my face. I didn't realize he was _that_ sensitive. And he could have said something sooner if he was…

I took a deep breath and headed for the cabin. I knew I had certain ways I could persuade him into a better mood. I smirked slightly at that thought. Just had to keep it pg-13 and he wouldn't complain, right?

I gently tapped on the on the door – it was locked – and I heard an annoyed sigh from the inside before the look clicked open and the door swung open as well.

"Did you come to crow in my face again?" he remarked, clearly still in a sour mood.

"Not exactly," I purred, keeping my face in the sultry expression I'd adopted before he opened the door. His demeanor almost immediately changed. He froze for a second before an all too appealing blush lit up his porcelain face. "Mind if I come in…?"

His response was to move out of the doorway. I sauntered inside. I absolutely _loved_ having this affect on him. Totally pumped my ego into sizes I didn't think possible. Even though it was steadily growing warmer outside – but probably still not to his comfort zone – I asked, "Would you like me to warm you up?"

He glanced over his shoulder, carefully closing the door before turning to look at me full on. His gaze was wary, like if I moved too fast, he'd cringe away from me. "Depends. What does 'warming up' entail?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Defensive as ever.

I slowly closed the space between us, not wanting to startle him. "Easy…" I murmured wrapping my arms around his waist, even though his remained locked across his chest. "I'm sure a few caresses and a nice heated kiss or two will raise your body temperature to a nice toasty level," I explained, leaning in to brush my lips along his jaw line.

Even that much began to thaw his frosty exterior. I could tell his stance relaxed first before he tilted his head slightly to get a better look at me.

"No funny stuff?" he asked, though the hunger in his eyes contradicted him, I nodded.

"I'll play nice," I promised, kissing his throat just below his ear. His breath caught on that. Maybe his neck was his weak spot. I'd keep that for later then. I brought my face up to his, leaning over as I was, and connected our lips, gently running my hands up and down his back. He dropped his arms, snaking them up around my neck.

Like I said; persuasion.

I smiled, gently pulling back enough to breathe. His eyes had slipped shut, always a good sign. He grudgingly reopened them. "I thought you said a kiss or _two_ to raise my body temperature."

I snickered lightly, "Give me a second to catch my breath, I don't have the lung capacity you have," I murmured, leaning back in. His fingers teasingly ran through my hair, sending a shiver down my spine. Was he really as inexperienced as he claimed to be…?

I began to doubt it when his tongue ran slowly across my lower lip. I opened my mouth marginally to allow him in. He could just be naturally talented at seducing people…that was always a possibility. His cool fingers found their way to my face, easing us slowly apart.

"Mm, yes, definitely warmer now," he whispered, his voice husky before he let out a low throaty laugh that sent a very pleasing heat through my chest. I kept my hold on him, insisting that he stay close at least for a few more moments. His hands returned to my hair.

"Are you sure you haven't done this with anyone before…?" I asked skeptically. He seemed experienced to me. His unearthly eyes didn't help matters as he raised them to meet mine.

"Yep. I'm just a quick learner," he smirked, somehow slinking out of my hold. "And might I suggest some conditioner? Your hair felt a little rough."

I let out a disgruntled sigh. Now he was giving me beauty advice? So much for being Mr. Suave with him anymore. He sat down on the bed gracefully, keeping his gaze trained on me.

"Though it was very nice to play with, the way it defies gravity always intrigued me," he added, tilting his head to the side. "I didn't offend you, did I?"

I sighed again, walking the short distance to the bed, sitting down beside him, "No. I'm just surprised, is all."

"By how I'm able to pick things up so quickly?" he asked gently, his golden eyes soft. I nodded. It was like he'd been making out with people since he was 12, for Pete's sake. He sighed, dropping his gaze, resting his face on his hand as he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "I can assure you once it's past pg-13 I'm clueless. So you'll have your dominant fun…at least the first time through." The smirk had returned.

"Right…except that you're forgetting who is overall physically stronger, not to mention taller." The smirk vanished, replaced by a scowl. Hah. I still had him beat there.

"Well I'm not just going to lie there. I will fight. Just not the first time. I have to learn before I can practice," he glanced back at me before straightening up again.

"We'll see snake-boy."

"I know. I'm just warning you so that I don't wound your ego later by surprising you again," he shrugged, nonchalant.

"Ch-, for a virgin, you sure are cocky."

He chuckled, "I try. Since this is frustrating you, were you expecting me to be a swooning weak-willed push-over? Surely you could've guessed I would be my same cocky self? I _did_ warn you in that cottage, didn't I?"

And now he was guessing my fantasies. He really was smart. I let out a low sigh before replying. "I guess that's true. I still can't shake the feeling you're all talk," I insisted. Sure, he was getting very good at kissing, but when I pushed him, edging closer to something more serious, his arrogance evaporated. Or had I imagined that too…?

He shrugged, "Like you said, we'll just have to wait and see. And don't be so pitiful. The first time _will_ be yours to work your manly magic and woo me past any of my senses," he reminded, his voice surprisingly lacking the teasing edge as he fluidly rose to his feet.

I blinked before shaking my head slightly. He'd already reached the door and went back outside. I stayed where I was, wondering how I could woo him, as he put it, without pulling out all the stops. If I wanted to easily win him over more than once, I'd have to save some tricks until later. He learned too quickly sometimes.

I sighed, lying back on the bed, tucking my arms behind my head. I stared up at the ceiling, seeing shapes in the wood. I didn't realize it, but I slowly slipped off to sleep. It was the result of waking too early after too little sleep, no doubt.

I woke later, disorientated by the darkness of the room. After another moment, I realized I wasn't laying the same way I had been when I fell asleep. I glanced over, finding Orochimaru asleep beside me. Had I really slept _that_ long? I decided to stay where I was. For all I knew, it really wasn't too late and he had just gone to bed early too.

Yawning, I flipped on my side, draping an arm over his waist as I closed my eyes again. He must have had sensitive subconscious or he wasn't asleep because he nudged back, nestling closer to my chest. I smiled sleepily before I fell under once more.

I slept through the remainder of the night untroubled. My dreams had been helpful, giving me ideas I could try out. I sat up slowly, trying not to wake my still slumbering teammate. I guess I was bound to wake up first. Taking advantage of the highly rare occurrence, I watched his peaceful expression. It was calming, seeing him so relaxed.

A smile broke across my features. I might be seeing this more often. A lot more often. I began to wonder how opposed he would be to living together as I padded outside. It was hard to imagine not having him there when I woke up. Silly, considering I'd only had the privilege for little less than a week. I guess I fell harder for him than I thought. Huh.

I shielded my eyes from the bright morning sun, trying to gauge where we were from our surroundings. If I squinted, I could've sworn I made out land in the distance. The excitement that had made me giddy yesterday filled me again. We were almost home. Which also meant I was almost officially a jounin.

I grinned as I went through the steps to get us moving again. I stayed outside, enjoying the cool breeze. It wasn't arctic anymore, which was very nice. It may have been fall in Konoha at the moment, but the upcoming winter wasn't anything to cringe at. It didn't get too cold there.

About a half hour passed and I no longer had to squint to make out the coast. When an hour passed, I could see details. I decided I should wake my still sleeping teammate.

I walked back into the cabin silently, a smirk filling my features. I knew of a very nice way to wake him up, one that could possibly give me an insight of what my kisses really did to him. Without a façade I figured it would be different.

I was in luck; he had rolled onto his back in the time I'd been outside, still fast asleep. Keeping one foot on the ground and resting a knee on the bed, I leaned forward, gently brushing the stray midnight hair that had fallen in his face. I didn't pause, sensing my touch had started to wake him. I ran my tongue across his lips before actually kissing them.

I could get away with being steamy after the teasing he'd put me through yesterday.

I heard him let out a low moan in the back of his throat as my lips molded to his. I stayed there for a moment not wanting to break the kiss quite yet. Eventually I gently pulled back to get the full effect. As I had suspected, his usual antics were just that, antics. His eyes remained closed, but I knew he was awake. His expression looked needy, uke-ish, if you will. I smirked. Perfect.

His lavender lids finally fluttered open, his golden irises holding the same look his face held while his eyes were closed.

"'Morning sunshine," I purred. The already present blush flushed a darker red, before he let out a low groan.

"Cheater," he murmured, closing his eyes again as he curled over onto his side. I bit my lip to keep from laughing. It was nice to feel in control again.

"We're almost home," I added lightly, hoping to ease his embarrassment. It did the trick and he sat up, though grudgingly at first.

"How far?" he asked as he ran a hand through his hair. He flipped it back over his shoulder shortly after and I could see the blush had faded to a faint pink tint.

"Not very, the coast is in easy sight, so we'll probably get to the dock in about fifteen minutes or so," I replied, returning to my feet. He slipped out from under the sheets and got up on the other side, letting out a yawn.

"I guess I went farther last night than I thought. I don't know how I managed to stay up as late as I did…" he murmured walking towards the door outside. Even when he was half asleep, his walk still mimicked a model's stride. I wasn't going to deny I was jealous of his easy grace. I followed him out, keeping my eyes on his hair as flowed with his movements. I didn't want be caught staring at better places if he were to turn suddenly. It would seem my own teasing had flustered me as well.

He paced to the rail, leaning on it gently as he gazed out towards shore. It had grown closer since we'd been inside.

"We can afford a short trip to our places before visiting Sensei, right?" he asked.

I nodded, "I don't think he'd mind."

"Of course he wouldn't, I was wondering about you. I thought you might want to sprint in a dead out run to his office the minute we landed."

"Ha ha. I'm not that eager. Besides, I'd rather show up presentable to receive my promotion," I declared. He snorted. "What? You obviously want to go home to freshen up too."

"I do, it's just you sound ridiculous sometimes," he chuckled. I scowled at him before stepping away to start the short prep for docking. He followed dutifully behind me, helping me with the minor task.

Once docked, we paid the remaining fees for the boat and headed back. The walk back to the village went by in a flash. The gate to the village loomed very soon over us.

"When do you want to meet? Ten, fifteen minutes from now?" Orochimaru asked, turning slightly to look back at me.

"Fifteen should be good," I replied and he nodded, returning to the pace we'd walked at as he headed toward his home. I walked calmly the other direction toward my apartment, until I knew he wouldn't be looking back. Then I sprinted. I didn't want to admit it, but sprinting to Konoha _had_ crossed my mind.

Whatever.

I got home in record time. I dropped my bag off in my room before heading to the shower. My movements slowed once the warm water started falling. I scowled, noticing the shampoo standing by itself. I'd buy some stupid conditioner later. It's not like it would be as perfect as his flawless hair anyway, but I knew he'd complain if I didn't at least try to match his perfection.

I shut off the water a few minutes later, finished. I dried off and headed back to my room. My closet was running low on clothes, so I'd probably have to do laundry later as well. I sighed. Laundry was such a pain.

I grudgingly pulled on the last clean uniform and ran a comb through my hair. It didn't do much good; it still stood up all over the place as if I'd done nothing at all. Oh well. It looked fine to me. With that, I left.

I was perfectly on time, and yet Orochimaru wasn't there. Huh. That's strange-

"Looking for someone…?" an all too appealing voice murmured, arms snaking around my torso.

And here I thought he was anti-public displays of affection.

"Yeah, he has long dark hair, pale white skin, and the most amazing golden eyes…" I murmured in response. A low chuckle before the arms released me.

"I think I saw him earlier," he remarked. "C'mon."

I smiled, following after him up the stairs. Sarutobi was waiting for us, the door to his office already wide open. I tapped on the frame to get his attention as we strode in. A smile spread across his features.

"Ah, I see you two have come back again. And judging by your grin, Jiraiya, Orochimaru figured it out and told you his guess?" he stated.

"You could say that, yes," I replied. I saw Orochimaru roll his eyes as our teacher cleared his throat.

"Well then, I suppose you'll get the formal version now," the smile remained as he took a deep breath. Probably was pride. Now all his students were elites. "After reviewing your work as a shinobi of Konohagakure, it is easy to see you have reached the level of a jounin ranked individual. As of today, you will be ranked as such, and as a result, given missions assigned to your level of achievement. Congrats, Jiraiya," he tacked on at the end.

"Thank you Hokage-sama, I'm honored," I bowed, just a slight twinge of sarcasm marring my action. He didn't seem to mind.

"Well then, I suppose that's all. The Anbu should be able to tell me enough, so I won't need a report from you two. You may go." With that, we made our exit. I silently hoped for some time off, after the crap we just got done with. I didn't want to raise my hopes too high, but plans for a few free days already were springing to my mind as we walked.

"So Mr. Jounin, how are you feeling?" Orochimaru remarked once we were back on the streets.

"Amazing," I said smugly. I saw him roll his eyes out of the corner of my eye.

"Well I should probably head home…" he started his pace slowing as we were currently headed towards my place.

"All right…I suppose I should get some research done anyway…" I said, hoping he'd take the bait. I rather hoped we would spend the day together. I saw his eye twitch in annoyance as he stopped completely.

"Have fun," he said curtly before disappearing. Ouch. Maybe that had been the wrong kind of bait? I couldn't help letting out a sigh as I continued on my way. Sure research was wonderful and everything, but when I could have something tangible instead…? I sighed again.

By the time I got home I was pretty depressed. I decided to stick to my original plan in case if he came hunting me down. I changed out of the uniform into more casual clothing before heading out again.

I was on my way toward the hotsprings when I detected the slightest presence following me before it vanished.

Hmm.

Inspiration struck and I stayed on my path. I had a good feeling he was following me and was masking his presence. Probably to ruin my outing, no doubt. Little did he know that I was leading him around now. I grinned, maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all…

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_Review?_


	22. Chapter 22

Teamwork –part 2 of 11–

As we prepared for leaving, I could already tell that telling him had been a bad idea. I should have just suggested that he might be promoted, not that he actually was. I tried to remain unaffected by his excitement, but it was quickly wearing down my nerves to the point of snapping. I didn't completely lose it until he crowed, for the _third_ time, that he was going to be a jounin and I had nothing to hold over him anymore.

So instead of marring the face I'd grown fond of, I stormed off into the cabin where it was mostly quiet, aside from the gentle lapping of the ocean against the boat's sides.

I could not believe how obnoxious one tiny piece of information made him. I guess I should have been glad he hadn't been that way when I admitted I liked him. I shuddered at the thought, unable to not imagine him strutting around me in a circle repeating in an almost mocking tone: Orochi's got the hots for me! I sighed. Yes, it could definitely be worse.

I hadn't been paying attention to time –who honestly does when they're that upset?—but it apparently had been long enough to cause concern. The gentle tapping on the door caused my head to snap up before I let out an annoyed sigh, loudly. I rose to my feet and unlocked the door, opening it to face him.

"Did you come to crow in my face again?" I demanded. If he was, I would simply slam the door in his face. I still had seniority over him, if nothing else. But the look on his face erased any thoughts of closing the door.

"Not exactly," he murmured, his dark eyes heated. I froze for a split second; so he was trying to seduce me now…? "Mind if I come in…?"

I ignored the fact that I was more than likely blushing like a schoolgirl as I stepped aside to let him in. Even when I was angry with him, he still managed to disarm me so easily. Must be nice.

"Would you like me to warm you up?" he asked as I went to close the door. Stupid chilly sea air was blowing in. I glanced over my shoulder as I shut it before turning to face him.

"Depends. What does 'warming up' entail?" I asked slowly, crossing my arms over my chest. I wasn't about to be caught off-guard by his expertise again. He stepped closer slowly and gently brought his arms around me. I didn't budge, leaving my arms across my chest as he replied.

"Easy… I'm sure a few caresses and a nice heated kiss or two will raise your body temperature to a nice toasty level," he explained calmly, leaning in to brush his lips against my jaw.

Try as I may, that caused my locked muscles to loosen slightly. Disarming again. Bastard. Why was he so good at this?

I fought to keep my heart from beating too quickly and tilted my head to look at him better, "No funny stuff?" I warned. I wasn't sure if my expression contradicted my words, but it probably did. He nodded regardless, clearly not wanting to aggravate me again.

"I'll play nice," he promised kissing my throat just below the ear. My breath caught, much to my annoyance. He must know of every little spot that felt irresistibly good to be kissed. I guess that meant anything serious would be quite enjoyable, but I was still a little jealous. I didn't protest as he brought his mouth to meet mine. In fact, I was playing nice as well now. I dropped my arms to relocate them securely around his neck. I let my eyes close as his hands smoothly ran the course of my back. I was a little disappointed when he pulled away.

I grudgingly reopened my eyes to see what he was up to, "I thought you said a kiss or _two_ to raise my body temperature," I pointed out stubbornly. He snickered.

"Give me a second to catch my breath, I don't have the lung capacity you have," he explained in a low voice –one that raised more goosebumps on my skin. Not that he could see any of them. I let my hands explore his hair as he kissed me again. Not as rough as I had been expecting…though it could use a little help. I didn't fail to notice that he wasn't doing anything special so I urged him on a little, snaking my tongue out to run it across his lower lip. He let me in easily enough –for which I was glad, I was still learning these tricks.

I wouldn't have minded dragging it out a little longer, but my lungs started to protest for fresh oxygen so my hands grudgingly found his face to gently ease it away from mine.

"Mm, yes, definitely warmer now," I murmured, letting out a low laugh. He didn't let me go, not that I wanted to leave the extra warmth of his chest quite yet anyway. My hands returned to his hair; it still puzzled me. How could white be natural…and so spiky?

"Are you sure you haven't done this with anyone before…?" he suddenly asked, doubt written all over his face. Well that was unexpected. I thought I was making a fool of myself when we were more…intimate.

"Yep. I'm just a quick learner," I assured with a smirk. I slipped out of his hold, walking a few paces away, "And might I suggest some conditioner? Your hair felt a little rough," I added. He sighed in obvious irritation, so as I sat down, I kept my eyes on him. "Though it was very nice to play with, the way it defies gravity always intrigued me," I commented, tilting my head to the side when he didn't reply. "I didn't offend you, did I?"

Another sigh escaped him as he plopped down beside me. "No. I'm just surprised, is all."

"By how I'm able to pick things up so quickly?" I supplied gently. Apparently I had offended him, or worse, damaged his ego. The only way I could fix that was to boost it again. That wouldn't be too difficult. I sighed leaning forward to rest my face in my hands, my elbows propped on my knees. "I can assure you once it's past pg-13 I'm clueless. So you'll have your dominant fun…at least the first time through," I tacked on at the end. It only seemed fair to add it.

"Right…except that you're forgetting who is overall physically stronger, not to mention taller," he pointed out. My expression fell into a scowl; it was true, after all. Hmm.

"Well I'm not just going to lie there. I will fight. Just not the first time. I have to learn before I can practice," I commented looking back him before straightening up completely again.

"We'll see snake-boy."

"I know. I'm just warning you so that I don't wound your ego later by surprising you again," I shrugged. I was still surprised I had in the first place. All I was doing was mirroring things he had done, right? I don't get why he got so salty about it.

"Ch-, for a virgin, you sure are cocky."

I laughed, "I try. Since this is frustrating you, were you expecting me to be a swooning weak-willed push-over? Surely you could've guessed I would be my same cocky self? I _did_ warn you in that cottage, didn't I?"

He sighed, "I guess that's true. I still can't shake the feeling you're all talk," he insisted. Well at least he has a good sixth sense.

I shrugged again, trying to keep things cool between us. "Like you said, we'll just have to wait and see. And don't be so pitiful. The first time _will_ be yours to work your manly magic and woo me past any of my senses," I reminded as I stood up. It was a strange sensation, dreading how I was going to react, yet wanting it to feel that good so I did react in that way…

Deciding my thoughts were headed for a dark gutter, I stepped outside, hoping the brisk ocean air would clear my head. It did and I quickly wrapped my arms securely around my chest, trying not to shiver. I guess I had forgotten where we were. It must have been early evening as the west sky was changing colors, taking the sun with it. I sighed, resting against the rail, letting my thoughts wander; I gazed out at the water.

I remained motionless for a long time; the sun had sunk behind the horizon a while ago by now. I guess I hadn't noticed, but the gentle rocking from the waves was making me drowsier than I had been earlier. Stifling a yawn, I went to prepare things properly for the night before returning to the cabin.

As I walked in, I found out why Jiraiya hadn't come back out; he was fast asleep and taking up most of the bed. I managed to reposition him so he was lying on his own part of the bed. Pulling the sheets and blankets out from under him, I draped them over both of us before lying down. I was almost asleep when I felt his arm wrap around waist. I felt a small smile tug at the corners of my mouth as I gently nudged back so my back was touching his chest. In no time, I was out cold.

I slept soundly well into the morning. I didn't wake until I felt his hand brush lightly across my face. I was in the process of opening my eyes when his tongue ran the length of my mouth. My body flooded with heat as he closed the remaining gap. I couldn't help but let out a low moan, he wasn't playing fair but I could hardly complain at the moment.

When he pulled back, I kept my eyes closed for a moment, my half asleep haze causing the usually pleasant experience to be almost otherworldly. I slowly opened my eyes and looked up at him, a little disappointed that he had pulled back so quickly.

"'Morning sunshine," he purred causing the already present heat to burn hotter through my body. I let out a groan in protest, curling over onto my side. How embarrassing.

"Cheater," I mumbled, closing my eyes again, willing my body to cool.

"We're almost home," he added. I managed to keep from letting out an irritated sigh as I slowly sat up.

"How far?" I asked, running a hand through my hair. I tossed it back over my shoulder. It was stupid to not have remembered to bring a brush. Oh well.

"Not very, the coast is in easy sight, so we'll probably get to the dock in about fifteen minutes or so," he explained. Yawning, I slid to the other side of the bed and got to my feet.

"I guess I went farther last night than I thought. I don't know how I managed to stay up as late as I did…" I murmured making my way towards the door. The breeze was cool and refreshing as I walked outside. I went to my usual spot on the rail, looking towards the shore. It was rather close. "We can afford a short trip to our places before visiting Sensei, right?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder at him.

He nodded, "I don't think he'd mind."

"Of course he wouldn't, I was wondering about you. I thought you might want sprint in a dead out run to his office the minute we landed." I had already pictured it a few times in my head; it seemed very much like something he'd do.

"Ha ha. I'm not that eager. Besides, I'd rather show up presentable to receive my promotion," he declared, looking rather pompous. I snorted at his act. What a moron. "What? You obviously want to go home to freshen up too."

"I do, it's just you sound ridiculous sometimes," I corrected, chuckling. He scowled before wandering off to begin the docking task. I followed after him helping him along to get it done as fast as possible.

After everything was wrapped up with the boat, we began our way back to the village. I nearly had to jog to keep up with his long fast strides. Stupid tall bastard. It just wasn't fair sometimes. Due to our speed, we reached the gate in probably record time. He had paused at the entrance but I had continued to walk. Turning back I asked, "When do you want to meet? Ten, fifteen minutes from now?"

"Fifteen should be good," he answered. I simply nodded and continued on my way. It was horribly tempting to look back to see if he'd started running yet, but I resisted. When I reached my apartment, I dropped my things by the door like I had before, but the thought of burning the bag's contents were not on my mind the way they had been the other time.

I shrugged out of my clothes as I walked, leaving them where they fell on my way to the shower. I'd pick them up later, but at the moment, I doubted I had a moment to spare. I took one of the fastest showers and even then I was forced to leave my hair mostly damp to arrive on time.

I decided to hide, noticing that the streets were void of people. That meant I could have some fun without making our new…relationship apparent. It was still a little odd to think of it in those terms. Not that I minded being in said relationship, it was just very strange to me.

In a matter of a minute or so, he showed up, perfectly on time. I smiled a little to myself; he certainly was getting better at things. I snuck up behind him, slipping my arms under his to grasp him around the chest. "Looking for someone…?" I purred.

"Yeah, he has long dark hair, pale while skin, and the most amazing golden eyes…" My, such flattery. I wonder if he knew I was a sucker for it. I chuckled lightly, releasing him.

"I think I saw him earlier," I smirked lightly, "c'mon."

We walked the stairs, finding the door to our teacher's office wide open. Jiraiya knocked lightly on the frame of the door to get his attention. He looked up, a smile coming to his face.

"Ah, I see you two have come back again. And judging by your grin, Jiraiya, Orochimaru figured it out and told you his guess?" he stated. Ch- it was hardly a guess. It was blatantly obvious.

"You could say that, yes," Jiraiya answered. I rolled my eyes. Hadn't I told him it was obvious as well? Oh well.

Our teacher cleared his throat before continuing, "Well then, I suppose you'll get the formal version now." He paused again for dramatic effect. Honestly. I don't remember him being so presumptuous when I was promoted. "After reviewing your work as a shinobi of Konohagakure, it is easy to see you have reached the level of a jounin ranked individual. As of today, you will be ranked as such, and as a result, given mission assigned to your level of achievement. Congrats, Jiraiya," he added at the end making it sound less like a recording.

"Thank you Hokage-sama, I'm honored," he bowed. I wonder if our teacher noticed that it was tainted by sarcasm.

"Well then, I suppose that's all. The Anbu should be able to tell me enough, so I won't need a report from you two. You may go." I was glad to go, as I wasn't able to shake the strange twinge of jealousy. Sarutobi had seemed full of pride as he said those words to my teammate. He'd seemed almost bored when he told them to me. I began to wonder if there was a reason for that.

I pushed the darker thoughts aside, knowing it would be quite rude to dampen his day with them. So I forced myself to start a conversation. "So Mr. Jounin, how are you feeling?" I asked, unable to keep some satire out of my tone.

"Amazing," he stated smugly. I rolled my eyes. Maybe I wouldn't be able to keep this act up after all. His new found arrogance was already beginning to wear on my nerves.

"Well I should probably head home…" I murmured, slowing down.

"All right…I suppose I should get some research done anyway…" he said loftily. My eye twitched in annoyance. So that's how it was going to be; the minute I wasn't with him, he'd go back to his pervy ways as if I didn't exist. I stopped abruptly.

"Have fun," I snapped before disappearing. The nerve! Apparently I wasn't enough for him after all. Doesn't that just make me feel oh so amazing? Bastard.

It was about then that inspiration struck. I'm sure any of the women bathing would love to know of the unseen pervert. A smirk tugged at the corners of my mouth. Oh how lovely it could be to be witness to his disgrace – and beating, no doubt – when they found him. It was far too tempting to pass up.

I went back waiting for him to leave for the springs. I nearly forgot to mask my presence as I tagged along after him. Not that he'd notice anyway, he was probably already imagining them in their perfect luscious forms. Whatever. Anger fueled my stealth and my cover didn't slip the rest of the way.

I couldn't wait to make him pay. Bastard should've known it would insult me.

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